A deceleration control apparatus and method for a vehicle applies a deceleration, which is equal to or smaller than a guard value, to the vehicle based on a vehicle running environment parameter. The deceleration control apparatus determines the manner in which a driver performs an operation for decelerating the vehicle, and changes the guard value based on the manner in which the driver performs the operation for decelerating the vehicle. The manner in which the driver performs the operation for decelerating the vehicle may be determined based on at least one of the time at which the driver performs the operation for decelerating the vehicle, the time period during which the driver operates the brake, and the deceleration achieved by the brake operation.