A vehicle control device generates a fusion target by fusion of a radar target of an object ahead of the own vehicle acquired as a reflected wave of a carrier wave and an image target of the object acquired by image processing of an acquired image of a region ahead of the own vehicle and performs vehicle control of the own vehicle for the object detected as the fusion target. The vehicle control device determines whether a state where the object is detected with the fusion target has transitioned to a state where the object is detected with only the radar target; determines whether a distance to the object is a predetermined short distance when the state is determined to have transitioned to the state where the object is detected with only the radar target; and performs the vehicle control for to the object when the distance to the object is determined to be the predetermined short distance.