A preheating control for controlling an energization of a heater is executed so that a sensor element of an exhaust gas sensor is preheated within a temperature range in which no element crack caused by water occurs until a predetermined preheating period elapses after an engine starts. In performing the preheating control, first, an energization duty of the heater is set to a preheating promotion energization duty to promptly raise a temperature of the sensor element until it is determined that the temperature of the sensor element reaches a predetermined upper limit temperature. After it is determined that the temperature of the sensor element reaches the upper limit temperature, the energization duty of the heater is set so that the temperature of the sensor element is maintained at the upper limit temperature to sufficiently raise the temperature of the overall sensor element during the preheating control.