The control of boost-derived converters presents a special challenge due to its non-minimum phase behavior, forcing a slow transient response when traditional linear techniques are employed. In order to improve the dynamic behavior, more complex controllers have been proposed (e.g., adaptive, nonlinear, boundary, etc.), but the improvements introduced by each one of them cannot be objectively assessed in the absence of a theoretical performance limit standard reference. This work introduces a benchmarking tool based on the evaluation of the converters’ performance under start-up, load current, and input voltage step-up/step-down transients. Six performance indices are defined using the theoretical performance limits as reference. In this way, the converters’ dynamic performance can be quantitatively assessed in six different aspects, enabling a thorough benchmarking procedure. The ideal parameters are found by exploring the performance limits of boost converters, providing valuable insight into the behavior of the topology. These reference parameters are found in a normalized domain and characterized by closed-form expressions, providing simple, intuitive, and general results valid for any combination of LC parameters and voltage levels. The characterization of the dynamic performance limits is validated by experimental results. The proposed benchmarking procedure is illustrated by evaluating the dynamic performance of two different dc–dc boost converters.