A battery for a vehicle and a method for controlling the same are provided. The battery includes a housing in which a plurality of battery cells are disposed and a thermoelectric element that is disposed between the plurality of battery cells and provided with electrodes connected in a zigzag configuration. Since heat flows in a lengthwise direction of the battery cells, heat transfer efficiency with respect to the battery cells is significantly improved. By directly attaching the thermoelectric element to the battery cell, a gap between the battery cells is reduced, and a temperature of each battery cell is individually managed with ease.