Diabetes is a global epidemic, and poor blood glucose control has been one of the primary causes of death for patients with cardiovascular diseases. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), a novel hypoglycemic agent, has attracted extensive attention due to their prominent protective action on cardiovascular system in addition to the hypoglycemic effect demonstrated in experimental and clinical studies. Previous large randomized controlled trials for SGLT2i (EMPA-RED, CANVAS, DELCARE TIMI-58) confirmed that SGLT2i, either as primary prevention or as secondary prevention, could significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular deaths, non-fatal myocardial infarction and non-fatal stroke in patients with coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus. However, there have been limited findings on the actions of SGLT2i, particularly their direct effects, in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). This review summarizes the research progress in the role of SGLT2i in ASCVD with diabetes, in an effort to provide more evidence for the clinical treatment of these patients.