Method and control device for controlling a motor vehicle

A method for controlling in an automated manner a motor vehicle (10) traveling on a road (12) in a current lane (14), the road (12) having at least one further lane (16) comprising the following steps:

• generating and/or receiving at least two preliminary driving maneuvers which comprise a lane change from the current lane (14) to the at least one further lane (16) and a respective starting time associated with each lane change, wherein the respective starting times are at different times;
• determining a cost function which assigns a cost factor to each of the at least two preliminary driving maneuvers at least on the basis of the respective starting times, wherein the cost function is explicitly dependent on the starting time of the lane change;
• extremizing the cost function in order to optimize the at least two preliminary driving maneuvers into respective target driving maneuvers;
• comparing the at least two target driving maneuvers taking into account the respective starting times;
• selecting one of the starting times based on the comparison;
• and
• automatically controlling the vehicle (10) to follow the target driving maneuver of the at least two target driving maneuvers that begins at the selected respective starting time.