In a control apparatus for a vehicle, an ECU includes an operation reception unit that receives depression of a power switch (i.e., a vehicle system activation operation is performed) in a “ready-off state” as a non-drivable state, and a control execution unit that executes, when the vehicle system activation operation is received by the operation reception unit during running of a hybrid vehicle HV and an engine is started, a startability improvement control for improving startability of the engine as compared with the startability thereof when the vehicle system activation operation is received by the operation reception unit during stop of the hybrid vehicle HV and the engine is started.