diff --git a/cmd/minikube/cmd/start.go b/cmd/minikube/cmd/start.go
index 6eb57cf23e38..0f37fdcd8436 100644
--- a/cmd/minikube/cmd/start.go
+++ b/cmd/minikube/cmd/start.go
@@ -1253,24 +1253,48 @@ func validateFlags(cmd *cobra.Command, drvName string) {
 
 // validatePorts validates that the --ports are not below 1024 for the host and not outside range
 func validatePorts(ports []string) error {
-	_, portBindingsMap, err := nat.ParsePortSpecs(ports)
+	var exposedPorts, hostPorts, portSpecs []string
+	for _, p := range ports {
+		if strings.Contains(p, ":") {
+			portSpecs = append(portSpecs, p)
+		} else {
+			exposedPorts = append(exposedPorts, p)
+		}
+	}
+	_, portBindingsMap, err := nat.ParsePortSpecs(portSpecs)
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Errorf("Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid %s (%v)", ports, err)
 	}
-	for _, portBindings := range portBindingsMap {
+	for exposedPort, portBindings := range portBindingsMap {
+		exposedPorts = append(exposedPorts, exposedPort.Port())
 		for _, portBinding := range portBindings {
-			p, err := strconv.Atoi(portBinding.HostPort)
-			if err != nil {
-				return errors.Errorf("Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid %s", ports)
-			}
-			if p > 65535 || p < 1 {
-				return errors.Errorf("Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range %s", ports)
-			}
-			if detect.IsMicrosoftWSL() && p < 1024 {
-				return errors.Errorf("Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024) %s", ports)
-			}
+			hostPorts = append(hostPorts, portBinding.HostPort)
+		}
+	}
+	for _, p := range exposedPorts {
+		if err := validatePort(p, false); err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
 	}
+	for _, p := range hostPorts {
+		if err := validatePort(p, true); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func validatePort(port string, isHost bool) error {
+	p, err := strconv.Atoi(port)
+	if err != nil {
+		return errors.Errorf("Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid: %s", port)
+	}
+	if p > 65535 || p < 1 {
+		return errors.Errorf("Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: %s", port)
+	}
+	if isHost && detect.IsMicrosoftWSL() && p < 1024 {
+		return errors.Errorf("Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): %s", port)
+	}
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/cmd/minikube/cmd/start_test.go b/cmd/minikube/cmd/start_test.go
index 0ce1ce971c17..838d79afbb66 100644
--- a/cmd/minikube/cmd/start_test.go
+++ b/cmd/minikube/cmd/start_test.go
@@ -489,12 +489,12 @@ func TestValidatePorts(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"0:80"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range [0:80]",
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: 0",
 		},
 		{
 			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"0:80/tcp"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range [0:80/tcp]",
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: 0",
 		},
 		{
 			isTarget: true,
@@ -504,12 +504,12 @@ func TestValidatePorts(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"0-1:80-81/tcp"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range [0-1:80-81/tcp]",
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: 0",
 		},
 		{
 			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"0-1:80-81/udp"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range [0-1:80-81/udp]",
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: 0",
 		},
 		{
 			isTarget: !isMicrosoftWSL,
@@ -519,22 +519,22 @@ func TestValidatePorts(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
 			ports:    []string{"80:80"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024) [80:80]",
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 80",
 		},
 		{
 			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
 			ports:    []string{"1023-1025:8023-8025"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024) [1023-1025:8023-8025]",
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 1023",
 		},
 		{
 			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
 			ports:    []string{"1023-1025:8023-8025/tcp"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024) [1023-1025:8023-8025/tcp]",
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 1023",
 		},
 		{
 			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
 			ports:    []string{"1023-1025:8023-8025/udp"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024) [1023-1025:8023-8025/udp]",
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 1023",
 		},
 		{
 			isTarget: true,
@@ -554,27 +554,72 @@ func TestValidatePorts(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
 			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:80:80"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024) [127.0.0.1:80:80]",
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 80",
 		},
 		{
 			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
 			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:81:81/tcp"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024) [127.0.0.1:81:81/tcp]",
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 81",
 		},
 		{
 			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
 			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:81:81/udp"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024) [127.0.0.1:81:81/udp]",
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 81",
 		},
 		{
 			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
 			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:80-83:80-83/tcp"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024) [127.0.0.1:80-83:80-83/tcp]",
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 80",
 		},
 		{
 			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
 			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:80-83:80-83/udp"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024) [127.0.0.1:80-83:80-83/udp]",
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 80",
+		},
+		{
+			isTarget: true,
+			ports:    []string{"80"},
+			errorMsg: "",
+		},
+		{
+			isTarget: true,
+			ports:    []string{"80", "65535", "65536"},
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: 65536",
+		},
+		{
+			isTarget: true,
+			ports:    []string{"0", "80", "65535"},
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: 0",
+		},
+		{
+			isTarget: true,
+			ports:    []string{"cats"},
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid: cats",
+		},
+		{
+			isTarget: true,
+			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:81:0/tcp"},
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: 0",
+		},
+		{
+			isTarget: true,
+			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:81:65536/tcp"},
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid [127.0.0.1:81:65536/tcp] (Invalid containerPort: 65536)",
+		},
+		{
+			isTarget: true,
+			ports:    []string{"1-65536:80-81/tcp"},
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid [1-65536:80-81/tcp] (Invalid hostPort: 1-65536)",
+		},
+		{
+			isTarget: true,
+			ports:    []string{"1-80:0-81/tcp"},
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid [1-80:0-81/tcp] (Invalid ranges specified for container and host Ports: 0-81 and 1-80)",
+		},
+		{
+			isTarget: true,
+			ports:    []string{"1-80:1-65536/tcp"},
+			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid [1-80:1-65536/tcp] (Invalid containerPort: 1-65536)",
 		},
 	}
 	for _, test := range tests {