A device and a method are provided for starting a vehicle internal-combustion engine. An electric machine at least temporarily drives the internal-combustion engine, and a storage unit at least temporarily supplies the electric machine with electric energy. A number of consumer assemblies in the vehicle are drivable at least temporarily by the engine via a respective process-specific connection. A control unit controls at least one consumer assembly in the presence of a consumer assembly control condition in order to generate or increase a load acting upon the internal-combustion engine, and subsequently controls the electric machine for driving the internal-combustion engine in the presence of an internal-combustion engine start condition.