In this paper, a general method for evaluating the transient response performance of turbocharged diesel engines is proposed by analyzing the response hysteresis in intake and exhaust pipes and turbochargers. An explicit relationship between key structural parameters of engine, turbocharger size, operating condition parameters and the evaluation index of transient response is established. The proposed evaluation indicator is finally tested and verified by one-dimensional computing models of different engines. The results indicate that the proposed evaluation method for transient response performance of turbocharged diesel engines has good predictability to different engines, which can be used for quantitative evaluation of transient response performance and determination of design scheme in the conceptual design stage of the whole engine. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.