In a method for controlling the driving speed of a vehicle that has a speed control device into which a set speed can be entered as driver command, a reference variable of the speed control device is varied within a specified or specifiable speed range of the set speed, based on an evaluation of a section of the road ahead of the driver and maintaining a minimum fuel usage in a first operating mode of the speed control device. To enable a better control of the driving speed, the method includes steps of i) detecting a change of the set speed; ii) changing over from the first operating mode to a second operating mode of the speed control device when a change of the set speed has been detected; iii) determining the reference variable in the second operating mode based on the change in such a manner that a tuning of the speed control device to a higher driving speed takes place with an increase of the set speed resulting from the change, and a tuning process of the speed control device to a lower driving speed takes place with a decrease of the set speed resulting from the change; and iv) changing back from the second operating mode to the first operating mode, if an interruption criterion is fulfilled.