An apparatus and method for controlling an electric vehicle are provided. The apparatus includes a battery that is configured to charge electrical energy and a motor that is configured to generate a driving torque from electrical energy charged in the battery. A controller is configured to determine a driving range of the vehicle, perform maximum efficiency control in which efficiency of the motor is maximized when the driving range of the vehicle is a main driving range, and perform minimum torque ripple control in which torque ripple of the motor is minimized when the driving range of the vehicle is a supplementary driving range.