To provide a vehicle control device that improves the accuracy of an automatic follow-up control in an inverted pendulum vehicle, a vehicle control device according to the present invention performs an automatic follow-up running control in an inverted pendulum vehicle so as to automatically follow a preceding vehicle. The vehicle control device is characterized by including: a communication unit that receives running condition data from the preceding vehicle regarding a vehicle speed and a joystick operation amount of the preceding vehicle; an inter-vehicle distance sensor that measures an inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle; and a main control ECU that computes an acceleration command value for following the preceding vehicle, wherein the main control ECU sets one of a first acceleration command value, which is computed based on the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle acquired through the communication unit and the inter-vehicle distance measured by the inter-vehicle distance sensor, and a second acceleration command value, which is computed based on the joystick operation amount acquired through the communication unit, as a target acceleration command value.