A multi-car elevator comprising: a plurality of cars (2, 4) that are disposed inside a shared hoistway; a plurality of driving apparatuses (6, 7) that respectively raise and lower the cars (2, 4) independently; an elevator controlling apparatus that controls the driving apparatus (6, 7); and a plurality of braking apparatuses (6a, 7a, 12, 13) that brake the cars (2, 4) and an inter-car safety device that monitors for an anomalous state that could lead to a collision between the cars (2, 4), wherein, when two adjacent cars (2, 4) travel in a like direction, the elevator controlling apparatus: determines a shortest stopping position that is a stopping position at which a leading car stops in a shortest stopping distance from its present position; determines an estimated stopping position that is a stopping position of a trailing car if the trailing car is stopped urgently when the trailing car deviates from a speed change path for stopping using decelerating control by the elevator controlling apparatus from its present position and approaches the leading car; and controls a separating distance between the leading car and the trailing car such that the estimated stopping position is before the shortest stopping position, characterized in that the inter-car safety device determines the shortest stopping position of the leading car and the estimated stopping position of the trailing car and monitors the separating distance independently from the elevator controlling apparatus and the inter-car safety device stops the trailing car urgently if a collision cannot be avoided using deceleration control by the elevator controlling apparatus when the two adjacent cars (2, 4) travel in the like direction. a plurality of cars (2, 4) that are disposed inside a shared hoistway; a plurality of driving apparatuses (6, 7) that respectively raise and lower the cars (2, 4) independently; an elevator controlling apparatus that controls the driving apparatus (6, 7); and a plurality of braking apparatuses (6a, 7a, 12, 13) that brake the cars (2, 4) and an inter-car safety device that monitors for an anomalous state that could lead to a collision between the cars (2, 4), wherein, when two adjacent cars (2, 4) travel in a like direction, the elevator controlling apparatus: determines a shortest stopping position that is a stopping position at which a leading car stops in a shortest stopping distance from its present position; determines an estimated stopping position that is a stopping position of a trailing car if the trailing car is stopped urgently when the trailing car deviates from a speed change path for stopping using decelerating control by the elevator controlling apparatus from its present position and approaches the leading car; and controls a separating distance between the leading car and the trailing car such that the estimated stopping position is before the shortest stopping position, characterized in that the inter-car safety device determines the shortest stopping position of the leading car and the estimated stopping position of the trailing car and monitors the separating distance independently from the elevator controlling apparatus and the inter-car safety device stops the trailing car urgently if a collision cannot be avoided using deceleration control by the elevator controlling apparatus when the two adjacent cars (2, 4) travel in the like direction. determines a shortest stopping position that is a stopping position at which a leading car stops in a shortest stopping distance from its present position; determines an estimated stopping position that is a stopping position of a trailing car if the trailing car is stopped urgently when the trailing car deviates from a speed change path for stopping using decelerating control by the elevator controlling apparatus from its present position and approaches the leading car; and controls a separating distance between the leading car and the trailing car such that the estimated stopping position is before the shortest stopping position, characterized in that the inter-car safety device determines the shortest stopping position of the leading car and the estimated stopping position of the trailing car and monitors the separating distance independently from the elevator controlling apparatus and the inter-car safety device stops the trailing car urgently if a collision cannot be avoided using deceleration control by the elevator controlling apparatus when the two adjacent cars (2, 4) travel in the like direction.