diff --git a/src/vue-wrapper.ts b/src/vue-wrapper.ts
index aaf2cc3c9..e71b2e939 100644
--- a/src/vue-wrapper.ts
+++ b/src/vue-wrapper.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { ComponentPublicInstance, nextTick, App } from 'vue'
+
 import { ShapeFlags } from './utils/vueShared'
 import { config } from './config'
-
 import { DOMWrapper } from './dom-wrapper'
 import { FindAllComponentsSelector, FindComponentSelector } from './types'
 import { createWrapperError } from './error-wrapper'
@@ -197,6 +197,13 @@ export class VueWrapper<T extends ComponentPublicInstance> {
     return nextTick()
   }
 
+  setData(data: Record<string, any>) {
+    // lodash.merge merges by *reference* so this will update
+    // any existing data with the newly passed data.
+    merge(this.componentVM.$data, data)
+    return nextTick()
+  }
+
   trigger(eventString: string, options?: TriggerOptions) {
     const rootElementWrapper = new DOMWrapper(this.element)
     return rootElementWrapper.trigger(eventString, options)
diff --git a/tests/setData.spec.ts b/tests/setData.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d88436cdf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/setData.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+import { mount } from '../src'
+
+describe('setData', () => {
+  it('causes nested nodes to re-render', async () => {
+    const Comp = {
+      template: `<div><div v-if="show" id="show">Show</div></div>`,
+      data() {
+        return { show: false }
+      }
+    }
+
+    const wrapper = mount(Comp)
+    expect(wrapper.find('#show').exists()).toBe(false)
+
+    await wrapper.setData({ show: true })
+
+    expect(wrapper.find('#show').exists()).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('runs watch function when data is updated', async () => {
+    const Comp = {
+      template: `<div>{{ sideEffect }}</div>`,
+      data() {
+        return { msg: '', sideEffect: '' }
+      },
+      watch: {
+        msg() {
+          this.sideEffect = 'side effect'
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    const wrapper = mount(Comp)
+    expect(wrapper.html()).not.toContain('side effect')
+
+    await wrapper.setData({ msg: 'foo' })
+
+    expect(wrapper.html()).toContain('side effect')
+  })
+
+  it('updates a single property of a complex object', async () => {
+    const Comp = {
+      template: `<div>Qux: {{ foo.qux }}. Baz: {{ foo.bar.baz }}</div>`,
+      data() {
+        return {
+          foo: {
+            qux: 'will not change',
+            bar: {
+              baz: 'old val'
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    const wrapper = mount(Comp)
+    expect(wrapper.html()).toBe('<div>Qux: will not change. Baz: old val</div>')
+
+    await wrapper.setData({
+      foo: {
+        bar: {
+          baz: 'new val'
+        }
+      }
+    })
+
+    expect(wrapper.html()).toBe('<div>Qux: will not change. Baz: new val</div>')
+  })
+})