A method of assisting deceleration during a stop of a motor vehicle having a drivetrain including a traction motor, a road wheel operatively connected to the drivetrain, a friction brake configured to decelerate the road wheel, and an electronic controller includes detecting, via the electronic controller, a request to stop the vehicle. The method also includes commanding the traction motor to provide regenerative braking in response to the request to stop the vehicle. The method additionally includes determining a current vehicle operating state. The method also includes determining an amount of brake drag torque to be generated by the friction brake based on the current vehicle operating state. The method further includes commanding an application of the determined amount of the brake drag torque in parallel with the regenerative braking, thereby operating the friction brake as a mechanical drivetrain damper while assisting the regenerative braking to stop the motor vehicle.