A vehicle control device comprises: a detection unit that detects objects in the vicinity of a host vehicle; a generation unit that, on the basis of the shape of a travel path traveled by the host vehicle, generates a first target trajectory; a first potential calculation unit that calculates an induced potential indicating safety resulting from traveling along the first target trajectory; a second potential calculation unit that calculates vicinity potential indicating safety on the basis of objects in the vicinity of the host vehicle; a third potential calculation unit that calculates a travel potential indicating safety when the host vehicle is moved in a direction intersecting the direction of travel of the host vehicle, for each geographical point included in an area that the host vehicle can travel through in the future, on the basis of the induced potential and the vicinity potential and using the first target trajectory as a reference therefor; and a travel control unit that controls host vehicle travel on the basis of a second target trajectory obtained by correcting the first target trajectory on the basis of the travel potential.