A method for operating an idling control device for a motor vehicle (Kfz), wherein the following actions are carried out by the idling control device: - a total setpoint torque (gs) comprising a setpoint torque of an electric motor (es) and a setpoint torque of an internal combustion engine (vs) interacting with the electric motor is specified, and - the setpoint torques (es, vs) in the electric motor and the internal combustion engine are set by means of respective control paths (er, vr), - in a first operating mode, a requested total setpoint torque (gms) is only set by means of at least one control intervention (vrl, vrs) via the control path of the internal combustion engine (vr), - in a second operating mode, the requested total setpoint torque (gms) is set by means of at least one control intervention (vrl, vrs) via the control path of the internal combustion engine (vrl) and by means of at least one control intervention (erl, ers) via the control path of the electric motor (er), wherein the control interventions (vrl, vrs) via the control path of the internal combustion engine (vr) comprise at least one predetermined slow control intervention (vrl) and the control interventions in the control path of the electric motor (er) comprise at least one predetermined fast control intervention (ers) which engages with a higher temporal rate of change than the at least one predetermined slow control intervention via the internal combustion engine (vrs), characterised in that, in the second operating mode, - the setpoint torque of the electric motor without a control intervention (es) has at least one predetermined basic generator torque (egs), and - the setpoint torque of the internal combustion engine without a control intervention (vs) has at least the basic generator torque (egs) as the setpoint torque, if the motor vehicle (Kfz) is in a predetermined idling mode. - a total setpoint torque (gs) comprising a setpoint torque of an electric motor (es) and a setpoint torque of an internal combustion engine (vs) interacting with the electric motor is specified, and - the setpoint torques (es, vs) in the electric motor and the internal combustion engine are set by means of respective control paths (er, vr), - in a first operating mode, a requested total setpoint torque (gms) is only set by means of at least one control intervention (vrl, vrs) via the control path of the internal combustion engine (vr), - in a second operating mode, the requested total setpoint torque (gms) is set by means of at least one control intervention (vrl, vrs) via the control path of the internal combustion engine (vrl) and by means of at least one control intervention (erl, ers) via the control path of the electric motor (er), wherein the control interventions (vrl, vrs) via the control path of the internal combustion engine (vr) comprise at least one predetermined slow control intervention (vrl) and the control interventions in the control path of the electric motor (er) comprise at least one predetermined fast control intervention (ers) which engages with a higher temporal rate of change than the at least one predetermined slow control intervention via the internal combustion engine (vrs), characterised in that, in the second operating mode, - the setpoint torque of the electric motor without a control intervention (es) has at least one predetermined basic generator torque (egs), and - the setpoint torque of the internal combustion engine without a control intervention (vs) has at least the basic generator torque (egs) as the setpoint torque, if the motor vehicle (Kfz) is in a predetermined idling mode.