Disclosed is a vehicle control apparatus which can execute a start-up control for improving acceleration performance at the time of starting an internal combustion engine during the running of a hybrid vehicle. When a hybrid ECU determines that a predetermined time has not yet elapsed after termination of the start-up control of the engine, and that the hybrid vehicle is in a high speed, high load condition, but not in a warming-up state, the hybrid ECU sets a value Nupest2 larger than a value Nupest1, that is usually set as a maximum value Krmx of a rise rate of an engine rotational speed.