Several experimental animal models have been set up to study the characteristics of acute kidney injury (AKI) and to develop possible new treatments for clinical applications. Herein, we review the experimental procedures used to induce AKI to test the therapeutic potential of extracellular vesicles (EV) produced by stem cells. In particular, we focused on AKI models induced by rhabdomyolysis, by cisplatin treatment, and by renal ischemia-reperfusion injury.