An external electric field was applied on the filter to improve its collection efficiency, and the collection efficiencies of the different filters under various conditions were evaluated. Dominant electrical filtration mechanisms for each condition were investigated using experimental and theoretical approaches. Four types of air filters were used as test filters: a charged fiber filter, a low-grade filter with 50% collection efficiency in the most penetration particle size (MPPS) zone, and two high-grade filters with more than 95% collection efficiency in the MPPS zone. Three different particle charge states—neutralized, single-charged and uncharged—were considered. For neutralized particles, the external electric field led to a 14.5%p. and 2.5%p. increase in the collection efficiencies of the low-grade filter and charged fiber filter, respectively. With the electric field, the collection efficiency of the low-grade filter increased by 30%p. for single-charged particles. The electric field also affected the collection efficiencies of the charged filter and high-grade filters, but the effect was not significant. For uncharged particles, the electric field did not lead to a remarkable increase in the collection efficiencies of any of the filters. Through experimental and theoretical analysis, it was found that the polarization force imposed on the charged fiber was the dominant factor for the charged fiber filter regardless of application of the external electric field. The Coulombic force imposed on the electric field was the dominant factor for the low-grade filter, while both the Coulombic and the polarization forces affected the collection efficiency of the high-grade filter. Copyright © 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research