Abstract A quasi-Z-source network is used to boost the DC bus voltage of a voltage source two-level H-bridge inverter to increase the voltage gain. With the increase in the DC bus voltage, the common mode voltage (CMV) also increases. The CMV is reduced using virtual space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM). Due to the presence of a quasi-Z-source network, the expression of the CMV changes significantly with respect to the conventional voltage source two-level H-bridge inverter fed from a pure DC supply. In this paper, a detailed analysis of the origin of the CMV for the quasi-Z-source two-level H-bridge inverter is presented. Additionally, it is shown how the CMV is affected for a DC input supply taken from a three-phase diode bridge rectifier. The work also details the scheme for suitable placement of shoot-through time intervals required for boosting within the non-active time intervals in virtual SVPWM. The simulation and experimental results show the scheme is effective in increasing the voltage gain and reducing the CMV arising at the third harmonic of the desired output frequency by at least 33.33%.