The promotion effect of Nb addition to VO x /CeO 2 catalysts for the selective catalytic reduction of NO x by NH 3 was fully investigated. VO x /CeO 2 and NbO x doped VO x /CeO 2 catalysts were characterized by N 2 physisorption, XRD, H 2 -TPR and NH 3 -TPD. The results showed that the addition of Nb could significantly promote the SCR activity of the VO x /CeO 2 catalyst, especially in the low temperature range. VO x /CeO 2 with 30 wt% NbO x catalyst showed the best catalytic performance and better SO 2 /H 2 O tolerance than VO x /CeO 2 catalyst. 30Nb-1VO x /CeO 2 also exhibited higher NH 3 -SCR activity than 3V 2 O 5 -WO 3 /TiO 2 .Lower crystallinity, stronger redox capability and more Brønsted acid sites of the Nb-VO x /CeO 2 catalyst were all responsible for its more excellent NH 3 -SCR performance. Based on kinetic experiments and in situ DRIFTS results, it was concluded that the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism existed for selective catalytic reduction of NO over Nb-VO x /CeO 2 , in which adsorbed NO x species reacted with adsorbed NH 3 to finally form N 2 and H 2 O.