Method for protecting an electric motor of a motor driven consumer equipped with a controller for controlling the capacity or the power of the consumer, the method comprising the following steps: - the determination of the thermal condition of the motor by direct measurement on the motor by the direct measurement of the temperatures of one or more electric windings and/or the temperatures of one or more bearings (12, 13), wherein use is made of one or more sensors whose signal is fed back directly to the aforementioned controller; and characterized in that the motor is provided with cooling using a coolant, and for one or more of the one or more sensors a maximum value is entered in the controller beforehand for a temperature difference between a measured temperature of the sensor concerned and an inlet temperature of the coolant, whereby the method further comprises the following steps: - the determination of the inlet temperature of the coolant at the cooling input; - for at least one sensor, the determination of the temperature difference of the sensor concerned; - the comparison of this temperature difference to the corresponding maximum value of the temperature difference entered beforehand for the sensor concerned, continuously or with time intervals; - the limitation of the maximum capacity or the maximum power of the consumer as a function of the aforementioned determined thermal condition by a preset value when the temperature difference of at least one of the sensors has reached or exceeded the corresponding maximum value - the determination of the thermal condition of the motor by direct measurement on the motor by the direct measurement of the temperatures of one or more electric windings and/or the temperatures of one or more bearings (12, 13), wherein use is made of one or more sensors whose signal is fed back directly to the aforementioned controller; and characterized in that the motor is provided with cooling using a coolant, and for one or more of the one or more sensors a maximum value is entered in the controller beforehand for a temperature difference between a measured temperature of the sensor concerned and an inlet temperature of the coolant, whereby the method further comprises the following steps: - the determination of the inlet temperature of the coolant at the cooling input; - for at least one sensor, the determination of the temperature difference of the sensor concerned; - the comparison of this temperature difference to the corresponding maximum value of the temperature difference entered beforehand for the sensor concerned, continuously or with time intervals; wherein use is made of one or more sensors whose signal is fed back directly to the aforementioned controller; and characterized in that the motor is provided with cooling using a coolant, and for one or more of the one or more sensors a maximum value is entered in the controller beforehand for a temperature difference between a measured temperature of the sensor concerned and an inlet temperature of the coolant, whereby the method further comprises the following steps: - the determination of the inlet temperature of the coolant at the cooling input; - for at least one sensor, the determination of the temperature difference of the sensor concerned; - the comparison of this temperature difference to the corresponding maximum value of the temperature difference entered beforehand for the sensor concerned, continuously or with time intervals; - the determination of the inlet temperature of the coolant at the cooling input; - for at least one sensor, the determination of the temperature difference of the sensor concerned; - the comparison of this temperature difference to the corresponding maximum value of the temperature difference entered beforehand for the sensor concerned, continuously or with time intervals; - the limitation of the maximum capacity or the maximum power of the consumer as a function of the aforementioned determined thermal condition