diff --git a/lib/util.js b/lib/util.js
index 2ef7e4e54c5c6d..ac98590464a3fb 100644
--- a/lib/util.js
+++ b/lib/util.js
@@ -595,9 +595,13 @@ function formatValue(ctx, value, recurseTimes, ln) {
       base = `${dateToISOString.call(value)}`;
     } else if (isError(value)) {
       // Make error with message first say the error
+      base = formatError(value);
+      // Wrap the error in brackets in case it has no stack trace.
+      if (base.indexOf('\n    at') === -1) {
+        base = `[${base}]`;
+      }
       if (keyLength === 0)
-        return formatError(value);
-      base = `${formatError(value)}`;
+        return base;
     } else if (isAnyArrayBuffer(value)) {
       // Fast path for ArrayBuffer and SharedArrayBuffer.
       // Can't do the same for DataView because it has a non-primitive
@@ -749,7 +753,7 @@ function formatPrimitive(fn, value, ctx) {
 }
 
 function formatError(value) {
-  return value.stack || `[${errorToString.call(value)}]`;
+  return value.stack || errorToString.call(value);
 }
 
 function formatObject(ctx, value, recurseTimes, keys) {
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-util-inspect.js b/test/parallel/test-util-inspect.js
index b80e932dd1c17f..0ea2fd702fd37d 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-util-inspect.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-util-inspect.js
@@ -496,12 +496,12 @@ assert.strictEqual(util.inspect(-5e-324), '-5e-324');
 
 // Exceptions should print the error message, not '{}'.
 {
-  const errors = [];
-  errors.push(new Error());
-  errors.push(new Error('FAIL'));
-  errors.push(new TypeError('FAIL'));
-  errors.push(new SyntaxError('FAIL'));
-  errors.forEach((err) => {
+  [
+    new Error(),
+    new Error('FAIL'),
+    new TypeError('FAIL'),
+    new SyntaxError('FAIL')
+  ].forEach((err) => {
     assert.strictEqual(util.inspect(err), err.stack);
   });
   try {
@@ -515,6 +515,18 @@ assert.strictEqual(util.inspect(-5e-324), '-5e-324');
   assert(ex.includes('[message]'));
 }
 
+{
+  const tmp = Error.stackTraceLimit;
+  Error.stackTraceLimit = 0;
+  const err = new Error('foo');
+  assert.strictEqual(util.inspect(err), '[Error: foo]');
+  assert(err.stack);
+  delete err.stack;
+  assert(!err.stack);
+  assert.strictEqual(util.inspect(err), '[Error: foo]');
+  Error.stackTraceLimit = tmp;
+}
+
 // Doesn't capture stack trace.
 {
   function BadCustomError(msg) {