In the present study, the corrosion inhibition effect of Spilanthes acmella aqueous leaves extract (SA-LE) on mild steel was investigated in 1.0 M HCl solution at different temperature using weight loss, Tafel polarization, linear polarization resistance (LPR), and electrochemical impedance (EIS) measurements. Adsorption of inhibitor on the surface of the mild steel obeyed both Langmuir and Temkin adsorption isotherms. The thermodynamic and kinetic parameters were also calculated to determine the mechanism of corrosion inhibition. The inhibition efficiency was found to increase with an increase in the inhibitor concentration i.e., Spilanthes acmella aqueous leaves extract, however, the inhibition efficiency decreased with an increase in the temperature. The phytochemical constituents with functional groups including electronegative hetero atoms such as N, O, and S in the extract adsorbed on the metal surface are found responsible for the effective performance of the inhibitor, which was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopic (UV-Vis) studies. Protective film formation against corrosion was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and contact angle studies. The result shows that the leaves extract acts as corrosion inhibitor and is able to promote surface protection by blocking active sites on the metal.