A vehicle control apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises a controller that performs following control of following the preceding vehicle based on the peripheral information. The controller controls traveling of a self-vehicle by setting one of a first state which requires driving preparation by a driver and a second state which does not require the driving preparation by the driver, controls the self-vehicle by setting the first state if a behavior amount of the preceding vehicle exceeds a threshold; and controls the vehicle by setting the second state if the behavior amount of the preceding vehicle does not exceed the threshold, and changes the threshold based on the peripheral information.