From the perspective of a virtual power plant (VPP) with electric vehicles (EVs), a self-scheduling strategy considering the response time margin (RTM) and state of charge margin (SOCM) is proposed. Firstly, considering the response state of the state of charge (SOC) and charge-discharge state of EVs, a VPP based response capacity determination model of EVs is established. Then, RTM and SOCM indexes are introduced on the basis of the power system scheduling target and the EV users’ traveling demands. The RTM and SOCM indices are calculated and then are used to generate a priority sequence of responsive EVs for the VPP. In the process of the scheduling period and rolling iteration, the scheduling schemes of the EVs in the VPP for multiple time periods are determined. Finally, the VPP self-scheduling strategy is validated by taking an VPP containing three kinds of EV users as an example. Simulation results show that with the proposed strategy, the VPP is able to respond to the scheduling power from the power system, while ensuring the traveling demands of the EV users at the same time.