This paper presents an equivalent non-uniform inelastic beam-like model for the evaluation of the nonlinear behaviour of multi-storey buildings subjected to earthquake loadings. The proposed beam can be used to model buildings with non-uniform mass and stiffness distribution. The model is characterised by a number of degrees of freedom corresponding to the number of floors of the building and is conceived to predict its nonlinear dynamic response after a proper calibration based on the results of pushover analyses performed on a nonlinear FEM model. In spite of its simplicity, the proposed equivalent model provides, with a very low computational effort, an accurate representation of the nonlinear dynamic behaviour of the building comparable to that obtained through the more demanding nonlinear 3D FEM models. The effectiveness of the proposed simplified modelling approach is here validated by means of nonlinear dynamic analyses firstly performed on a benchmark known in the literature as SAC9 building, modelled as a plane steel frame structure and secondly on a three-dimensional reinforced concrete structure, designed according to old standard structural design rules. The very good agreement with the results obtained through accurate 3D FEM frame modelling, for different earthquake loadings, on the considered benchmarks provides a first validation of the proposed inelastic equivalent beam-like model and suggests its potential use for the seismic assessment of building structures. The low computational cost related to the beam-like model could be particularly advantageous for all the seismic vulnerability approaches requiring several nonlinear dynamic analyses, as those related to large scale applications, or those expressed in terms of probability of failure generally expressed in terms of fragility curves. •Inelastic non-uniform beam-like model equivalent to multi-storey buildings.•The model is characterized by a very low computational cost.•It is capable to predict the non-linear dynamic response of an entire building.•The model is calibrated by means of FEM-based pushover analyses.•The model has been validated through comparisons with full 3D FEM models.