diff --git a/packages/server/src/middleware/error.js b/packages/server/src/middleware/error.js
index 01cf3a2b88..2361ef12de 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/middleware/error.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/middleware/error.js
@@ -6,19 +6,21 @@ import Youch from '@nuxtjs/youch'
 
 export default ({ resources, options }) => function errorMiddleware(err, req, res, next) {
   // ensure statusCode, message and name fields
-  err.statusCode = err.statusCode || 500
-  err.message = err.message || 'Nuxt Server Error'
-  err.name = !err.name || err.name === 'Error' ? 'NuxtServerError' : err.name
 
-  // We hide actual errors from end users, so show them on server logs
-  if (err.statusCode !== 404) {
-    consola.error(err)
+  const error = {
+    statusCode: err.statusCode || 500,
+    message: err.message || 'Nuxt Server Error',
+    name: !err.name || err.name === 'Error' ? 'NuxtServerError' : err.name
   }
+  const errorFull = err instanceof Error ? err : typeof err === 'string'
+    ? new Error(err) : new Error(err.message || JSON.stringify(err))
+  errorFull.name = error.name
+  errorFull.statusCode = error.statusCode
 
   const sendResponse = (content, type = 'text/html') => {
     // Set Headers
-    res.statusCode = err.statusCode
-    res.statusMessage = err.name
+    res.statusCode = error.statusCode
+    res.statusMessage = error.name
     res.setHeader('Content-Type', type + '; charset=utf-8')
     res.setHeader('Content-Length', Buffer.byteLength(content))
     res.setHeader('Cache-Control', 'no-cache, no-store, max-age=0, must-revalidate')
@@ -36,11 +38,15 @@ export default ({ resources, options }) => function errorMiddleware(err, req, re
 
   // Use basic errors when debug mode is disabled
   if (!options.debug) {
+    // We hide actual errors from end users, so show them on server logs
+    if (err.statusCode !== 404) {
+      consola.error(err)
+    }
     // Json format is compatible with Youch json responses
     const json = {
-      status: err.statusCode,
-      message: err.message,
-      name: err.name
+      status: error.statusCode,
+      message: error.message,
+      name: error.name
     }
     if (isJson) {
       sendResponse(JSON.stringify(json, undefined, 2), 'text/json')
@@ -53,7 +59,7 @@ export default ({ resources, options }) => function errorMiddleware(err, req, re
 
   // Show stack trace
   const youch = new Youch(
-    err,
+    errorFull,
     req,
     readSourceFactory({
       srcDir: options.srcDir,
diff --git a/packages/vue-app/template/client.js b/packages/vue-app/template/client.js
index 1b4d5bb3e4..21196fac77 100644
--- a/packages/vue-app/template/client.js
+++ b/packages/vue-app/template/client.js
@@ -36,11 +36,6 @@ Object.assign(Vue.config, <%= serialize(vue.config) %>)<%= isTest ? '// eslint-d
 if (!Vue.config.$nuxt) {
   const defaultErrorHandler = Vue.config.errorHandler
   Vue.config.errorHandler = (err, vm, info, ...rest) => {
-    const nuxtError = {
-      statusCode: err.statusCode || err.name || 'Whoops!',
-      message: err.message || err.toString()
-    }
-
     // Call other handler if exist
     let handled = null
     if (typeof defaultErrorHandler === 'function') {
@@ -53,10 +48,10 @@ if (!Vue.config.$nuxt) {
     if (vm && vm.$root) {
       const nuxtApp = Object.keys(Vue.config.$nuxt)
         .find(nuxtInstance => vm.$root[nuxtInstance])
-    
+
       // Show Nuxt Error Page
       if (nuxtApp && vm.$root[nuxtApp].error && info !== 'render function') {
-        vm.$root[nuxtApp].error(nuxtError)
+        vm.$root[nuxtApp].error(err)
       }
     }
 
@@ -68,7 +63,7 @@ if (!Vue.config.$nuxt) {
     if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production') {
       console.error(err)
     } else {
-      console.error(err.message || nuxtError.message)
+      console.error(err.message || err)
     }
   }
   Vue.config.$nuxt = {}
@@ -150,9 +145,7 @@ async function loadAsyncComponents(to, from, next) {
     // Call next()
     next()
   } catch (err) {
-    const error = err || {}
-    const statusCode = (error.statusCode || error.status || (error.response && error.response.status) || 500)
-    this.error({ statusCode, message: error.message })
+    this.error(err)
     this.<%= globals.nuxt %>.$emit('routeChanged', to, from, error)
     next(false)
   }
@@ -414,8 +407,6 @@ async function render(to, from, next) {
       return this.<%= globals.nuxt %>.$emit('routeChanged', to, from, error)
     }
     _lastPaths = []
-    const errorResponseStatus = (error.response && error.response.status)
-    error.statusCode = error.statusCode || error.status || errorResponseStatus || 500
 
     globalHandleError(error)
 
diff --git a/packages/vue-app/template/index.js b/packages/vue-app/template/index.js
index 24648c1349..36aac1757b 100644
--- a/packages/vue-app/template/index.js
+++ b/packages/vue-app/template/index.js
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import NuxtLink from './components/nuxt-link.js'
 import NuxtError from '<%= components.ErrorPage ? components.ErrorPage : "./components/nuxt-error.vue" %>'
 import Nuxt from './components/nuxt.js'
 import App from '<%= appPath %>'
-import { setContext, getLocation, getRouteData } from './utils'
+import { setContext, getLocation, getRouteData, normalizeError } from './utils'
 <% if (store) { %>import { createStore } from './store.js'<% } %>
 
 /* Plugins */
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ async function createApp(ssrContext) {
       error(err) {
         err = err || null
         app.context._errored = !!err
-        if (typeof err === 'string') err = { statusCode: 500, message: err }
+        err = err ? normalizeError(err) : null
         const nuxt = this.nuxt || this.$options.nuxt
         nuxt.dateErr = Date.now()
         nuxt.err = err
diff --git a/packages/vue-app/template/utils.js b/packages/vue-app/template/utils.js
index 4d1d6ff629..93b9783ae5 100644
--- a/packages/vue-app/template/utils.js
+++ b/packages/vue-app/template/utils.js
@@ -273,6 +273,23 @@ export function getQueryDiff(toQuery, fromQuery) {
   return diff
 }
 
+export function normalizeError(err) {
+  let message
+  if (!(err.message || typeof err === 'string')) {
+    try {
+      message = JSON.stringify(err, null, 2)
+    } catch (e) {
+      message = `[${err.constructor.name}]`
+    }
+  } else {
+    message = err.message || err
+  }
+  return {
+    message: message,
+    statusCode: (err.statusCode || err.status || (err.response && err.response.status) || 500)
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * The main path matching regexp utility.
  *
@@ -548,3 +565,4 @@ function formatQuery(query) {
     return key + '=' + val
   }).filter(Boolean).join('&')
 }
+
diff --git a/test/e2e/basic.browser.test.js b/test/e2e/basic.browser.test.js
index c215a4f6fa..a62f553b28 100644
--- a/test/e2e/basic.browser.test.js
+++ b/test/e2e/basic.browser.test.js
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ describe('basic browser', () => {
   test('/error', async () => {
     await page.nuxt.navigate('/error')
 
-    expect(await page.nuxt.errorData()).toEqual({ statusCode: 500 })
+    expect(await page.nuxt.errorData()).toEqual({ message: 'Error mouahahah', statusCode: 500 })
     expect(await page.$text('.title')).toBe('Error mouahahah')
   })
 
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ describe('basic browser', () => {
     await page.nuxt.navigate('/error2')
 
     expect(await page.$text('.title')).toBe('Custom error')
-    expect(await page.nuxt.errorData()).toEqual({ message: 'Custom error' })
+    expect(await page.nuxt.errorData()).toEqual({ message: 'Custom error', statusCode: 500 })
   })
 
   test('/redirect-middleware', async () => {
diff --git a/test/fixtures/basic/pages/error-object.vue b/test/fixtures/basic/pages/error-object.vue
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..28d30fbb18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/basic/pages/error-object.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+<script>
+
+export default {
+  fetch() {
+    throw { error: 'fetch error!' } // eslint-disable-line
+  }
+}
+</script>
diff --git a/test/fixtures/basic/pages/error-string.vue b/test/fixtures/basic/pages/error-string.vue
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4b6c6d5256
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/basic/pages/error-string.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+<script>
+
+export default {
+  fetch() {
+    throw 'fetch error!' // eslint-disable-line
+  }
+}
+</script>
diff --git a/test/fixtures/basic/pages/error.vue b/test/fixtures/basic/pages/error.vue
index 2b2308b386..d6975dcc52 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/basic/pages/error.vue
+++ b/test/fixtures/basic/pages/error.vue
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 <script>
 export default {
-  asyncData({ req }) {
+  asyncData() {
     throw new Error('Error mouahahah')
   }
 }
diff --git a/test/fixtures/spa/pages/error-handler-object.vue b/test/fixtures/spa/pages/error-handler-object.vue
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..28d30fbb18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/spa/pages/error-handler-object.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+<script>
+
+export default {
+  fetch() {
+    throw { error: 'fetch error!' } // eslint-disable-line
+  }
+}
+</script>
diff --git a/test/fixtures/spa/pages/error-handler-string.vue b/test/fixtures/spa/pages/error-handler-string.vue
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4b6c6d5256
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/spa/pages/error-handler-string.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+<script>
+
+export default {
+  fetch() {
+    throw 'fetch error!' // eslint-disable-line
+  }
+}
+</script>
diff --git a/test/fixtures/spa/plugins/error.js b/test/fixtures/spa/plugins/error.js
index 27bb917894..5c6de6b278 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/spa/plugins/error.js
+++ b/test/fixtures/spa/plugins/error.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import Vue from 'vue'
 
 Vue.config.errorHandler = function (err) {
-  document.body.appendChild(document.createTextNode(`error handler triggered: ${err.message}`))
+  document.body.appendChild(document.createTextNode(`error handler triggered: ${err.message || err}`))
 }
diff --git a/test/unit/basic.ssr.test.js b/test/unit/basic.ssr.test.js
index 8718601efa..665ef19fbc 100644
--- a/test/unit/basic.ssr.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/basic.ssr.test.js
@@ -174,6 +174,26 @@ describe('basic ssr', () => {
       .rejects.toThrow('Error mouahahah')
   })
 
+  test('/error-string', async () => {
+    let error
+    try {
+      await nuxt.server.renderRoute('/error-string', { req: {}, res: {} })
+    } catch (e) {
+      error = e
+    }
+    await expect(error).toEqual('fetch error!')
+  })
+
+  test('/error-object', async () => {
+    let error
+    try {
+      await nuxt.server.renderRoute('/error-object', { req: {}, res: {} })
+    } catch (e) {
+      error = e
+    }
+    await expect(error).toEqual({ error: 'fetch error!' })
+  })
+
   test('/error status code', async () => {
     await expect(rp(url('/error'))).rejects.toMatchObject({
       statusCode: 500
@@ -201,7 +221,7 @@ describe('basic ssr', () => {
     const { html, error } = await nuxt.server.renderRoute('/error2')
     expect(html).toContain('Custom error')
     expect(error.message).toContain('Custom error')
-    expect(error.statusCode === undefined).toBe(true)
+    expect(error.statusCode).toBe(500)
   })
 
   test('/error2 status code', async () => {
diff --git a/test/unit/spa.test.js b/test/unit/spa.test.js
index 01d60ad17d..e882be4392 100644
--- a/test/unit/spa.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/spa.test.js
@@ -41,13 +41,21 @@ describe('spa', () => {
   })
 
   test('/error-handler', async () => {
-    await renderRoute('/error-handler')
     const { html } = await renderRoute('/error-handler')
     expect(html).toMatch('error handler triggered: fetch error!')
   })
 
+  test('/error-handler-object', async () => {
+    const { html } = await renderRoute('/error-handler')
+    expect(html).toMatch('error handler triggered: fetch error!')
+  })
+
+  test('/error-handler-string', async () => {
+    const { html } = await renderRoute('/error-handler-string')
+    expect(html).toMatch('error handler triggered: fetch error!')
+  })
+
   test('/error-handler-async', async () => {
-    await renderRoute('/error-handler-async')
     const { html } = await renderRoute('/error-handler-async')
     expect(html).toMatch('error handler triggered: asyncData error!')
   })