A vehicle control device includes an identifier identifying a vehicle speed of a vehicle having a driving motor, based on a rotation speed of a power transmission shaft, and a controller controlling operation of the driving motor. The controller can switch between a normal mode of controlling acceleration/deceleration in accordance with a driver's acceleration/deceleration operation, and a cruise control mode of maintaining the vehicle speed at a target speed without being dependent on the acceleration/deceleration operation. During the cruise control mode, the controller calculates a torque command value for the driving motor by using proportional control based on a deviation between the vehicle speed and the target speed. If a prediction indicates that torsion in the shaft is to be released, the controller adjusts the torque command value such that an absolute value of torque of a proportional-control component is smaller than when the torsion is not to be released.