diff --git a/src/middleware/index.ts b/src/middleware/index.ts
index c55ba9d..cd2f146 100644
--- a/src/middleware/index.ts
+++ b/src/middleware/index.ts
@@ -94,9 +94,7 @@ export default function middleware({ routes }: {
 			}
 		},
 
-		get_route_handler(client_info.assetsByChunkName, routes, template),
-
-		get_not_found_handler(client_info.assetsByChunkName, routes, template)
+		get_route_handler(client_info.assetsByChunkName, routes, template)
 	].filter(Boolean));
 
 	return middleware;
@@ -120,7 +118,7 @@ function get_asset_handler({ pathname, type, cache, body }: {
 const resolved = Promise.resolve();
 
 function get_route_handler(chunks: Record<string, string>, routes: RouteObject[], template: Template) {
-	function handle_route(route: RouteObject, req: Req, res: ServerResponse, next: () => void) {
+	function handle_route(route: RouteObject, req: Req, res: ServerResponse) {
 		req.params = route.params(route.pattern.exec(req.pathname));
 
 		const mod = route.module;
@@ -135,15 +133,20 @@ function get_route_handler(chunks: Record<string, string>, routes: RouteObject[]
 			const data = { params: req.params, query: req.query };
 
 			let redirect: { statusCode: number, location: string };
-			let error;
+			let error: { statusCode: number, message: Error | string };
 
 			Promise.resolve(
 				mod.preload ? mod.preload.call({
 					redirect: (statusCode: number, location: string) => {
 						redirect = { statusCode, location };
+					},
+					error: (statusCode: number, message: Error | string) => {
+						error = { statusCode, message };
 					}
 				}, req) : {}
-			).then(preloaded => {
+			).catch(err => {
+				error = { statusCode: 500, message: err };
+			}).then(preloaded => {
 				if (redirect) {
 					res.statusCode = redirect.statusCode;
 					res.setHeader('Location', redirect.location);
@@ -152,6 +155,11 @@ function get_route_handler(chunks: Record<string, string>, routes: RouteObject[]
 					return;
 				}
 
+				if (error) {
+					handle_error(req, res, error.statusCode, error.message);
+					return;
+				}
+
 				const serialized = try_serialize(preloaded); // TODO bail on non-POJOs
 				Object.assign(data, preloaded);
 
@@ -220,60 +228,28 @@ function get_route_handler(chunks: Record<string, string>, routes: RouteObject[]
 					};
 				}
 
-				handler(req, res, next);
+				handler(req, res, () => {
+					handle_not_found(req, res, 404, 'Not found');
+				});
 			} else {
 				// no matching handler for method — 404
-				next();
+				handle_not_found(req, res, 404, 'Not found');
 			}
 		}
 	}
 
-	const error_route = routes.find((route: RouteObject) => route.error === '5xx')
+	const not_found_route = routes.find((route: RouteObject) => route.error === '4xx');
 
-	return function find_route(req: Req, res: ServerResponse, next: () => void) {
-		const url = req.pathname;
-
-		try {
-			for (const route of routes) {
-				if (!route.error && route.pattern.test(url)) return handle_route(route, req, res, next);
-			}
-
-			// no matching route — 404
-			next();
-		} catch (error) {
-			console.error(error);
-
-			res.statusCode = 500;
-			res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/html');
-
-			const rendered = error_route ? error_route.module.render({
-				status: 500,
-				error
-			}) : { head: '', css: null, html: 'Not found' };
-
-			const { head, css, html } = rendered;
-
-			res.end(template.render({
-				scripts: `<script src='/client/${chunks.main}'></script>`,
-				html,
-				head: `<noscript id='sapper-head-start'></noscript>${head}<noscript id='sapper-head-end'></noscript>`,
-				styles: (css && css.code ? `<style>${css.code}</style>` : '')
-			}));
-		}
-	};
-}
-
-function get_not_found_handler(chunks: Record<string, string>, routes: RouteObject[], template: Template) {
-	const route = routes.find((route: RouteObject) => route.error === '4xx');
-
-	return function handle_not_found(req: Req, res: ServerResponse) {
-		res.statusCode = 404;
+	function handle_not_found(req: Req, res: ServerResponse, statusCode: number, message: Error | string) {
+		res.statusCode = statusCode;
 		res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/html');
 
-		const rendered = route ? route.module.render({
+		const error = message instanceof Error ? message : new Error(message);
+
+		const rendered = not_found_route ? not_found_route.module.render({
 			status: 404,
-			message: 'Not found'
-		}) : { head: '', css: null, html: 'Not found' };
+			error
+		}) : { head: '', css: null, html: error.message };
 
 		const { head, css, html } = rendered;
 
@@ -283,6 +259,47 @@ function get_not_found_handler(chunks: Record<string, string>, routes: RouteObje
 			head: `<noscript id='sapper-head-start'></noscript>${head}<noscript id='sapper-head-end'></noscript>`,
 			styles: (css && css.code ? `<style>${css.code}</style>` : '')
 		}));
+	}
+
+	const error_route = routes.find((route: RouteObject) => route.error === '5xx');
+
+	function handle_error(req: Req, res: ServerResponse, statusCode: number, message: Error | string) {
+		if (statusCode >= 400 && statusCode < 500) {
+			return handle_not_found(req, res, statusCode, message);
+		}
+
+		res.statusCode = statusCode;
+		res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/html');
+
+		const error = message instanceof Error ? message : new Error(message);
+
+		const rendered = error_route ? error_route.module.render({
+			status: 500,
+			error
+		}) : { head: '', css: null, html: `Internal server error: ${error.message}` };
+
+		const { head, css, html } = rendered;
+
+		res.end(template.render({
+			scripts: `<script src='/client/${chunks.main}'></script>`,
+			html,
+			head: `<noscript id='sapper-head-start'></noscript>${head}<noscript id='sapper-head-end'></noscript>`,
+			styles: (css && css.code ? `<style>${css.code}</style>` : '')
+		}));
+	}
+
+	return function find_route(req: Req, res: ServerResponse, next: () => void) {
+		const url = req.pathname;
+
+		try {
+			for (const route of routes) {
+				if (!route.error && route.pattern.test(url)) return handle_route(route, req, res);
+			}
+
+			handle_not_found(req, res, 404, 'Not found');
+		} catch (error) {
+			handle_error(req, res, 500, error);
+		}
 	};
 }
 
diff --git a/src/runtime/index.ts b/src/runtime/index.ts
index 7ac8f8e..92fdd0e 100644
--- a/src/runtime/index.ts
+++ b/src/runtime/index.ts
@@ -75,20 +75,38 @@ function render(Component: ComponentConstructor, data: any, scroll: ScrollPositi
 
 function prepare_route(Component: ComponentConstructor, data: RouteData) {
 	let redirect: { statusCode: number, location: string } = null;
+	let error: { statusCode: number, message: Error | string } = null;
 
 	if (!Component.preload) {
-		return { Component, data, redirect };
+		return { Component, data, redirect, error };
 	}
 
 	if (!component && window.__SAPPER__ && window.__SAPPER__.preloaded) {
-		return { Component, data: Object.assign(data, window.__SAPPER__.preloaded), redirect };
+		return { Component, data: Object.assign(data, window.__SAPPER__.preloaded), redirect, error };
 	}
 
 	return Promise.resolve(Component.preload.call({
 		redirect: (statusCode: number, location: string) => {
 			redirect = { statusCode, location };
+		},
+		error: (statusCode: number, message: Error | string) => {
+			error = { statusCode, message };
 		}
-	}, data)).then(preloaded => {
+	}, data)).catch(err => {
+		error = { statusCode: 500, message: err };
+	}).then(preloaded => {
+		if (error) {
+			const route = error.statusCode >= 400 && error.statusCode < 500
+				? errors['4xx']
+				: errors['5xx'];
+
+			return route.load().then(({ default: Component }: { default: ComponentConstructor }) => {
+				const err = error.message instanceof Error ? error.message : new Error(error.message);
+				Object.assign(data, { status: error.statusCode, error: err });
+				return { Component, data, redirect: null };
+			});
+		}
+
 		Object.assign(data, preloaded)
 		return { Component, data, redirect };
 	});
@@ -117,7 +135,10 @@ function navigate(target: Target, id: number) {
 	const token = current_token = {};
 
 	return loaded.then(({ Component, data, redirect }) => {
-		if (redirect) return goto(redirect.location, { replaceState: true });
+		if (redirect) {
+			return goto(redirect.location, { replaceState: true });
+		}
+
 		render(Component, data, scroll_history[id], token);
 	});
 }
diff --git a/test/app/routes/4xx.html b/test/app/routes/4xx.html
index 119e9fc..837db65 100644
--- a/test/app/routes/4xx.html
+++ b/test/app/routes/4xx.html
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@
 </:Head>
 
 <Layout page='home'>
-	<h1>{{status}}</h1>
-	<p>{{message}}</p>
+	<h1>Not found</h1>
+	<p>{{error.message}}</p>
 </Layout>
 
 <script>
diff --git a/test/app/routes/5xx.html b/test/app/routes/5xx.html
index ecd3963..7b781d0 100644
--- a/test/app/routes/5xx.html
+++ b/test/app/routes/5xx.html
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 <:Head>
-	<title>{{status}}</title>
+	<title>Internal server error</title>
 </:Head>
 
 <Layout page='home'>
-	<h1>{{status}}</h1>
+	<h1>Internal server error</h1>
 	<p>{{error.message}}</p>
 </Layout>
 
diff --git a/test/app/routes/_components/Nav.html b/test/app/routes/_components/Nav.html
index 2eb7da4..75d0f9e 100644
--- a/test/app/routes/_components/Nav.html
+++ b/test/app/routes/_components/Nav.html
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 		<li><a href='/about'>about</a></li>
 		<li><a href='/slow-preload'>slow preload</a></li>
 		<li><a href='/redirect-from'>redirect</a></li>
+		<li><a href='/blog/nope'>broken link</a></li>
+		<li><a href='/blog/throw-an-error'>error link</a></li>
 		<li><a rel=prefetch class='{{page === "blog"  ? "selected" : ""}}' href='/blog'>blog</a></li>
 	</ul>
 </nav>
diff --git a/test/app/routes/blog/[slug].html b/test/app/routes/blog/[slug].html
index 2646930..98e9f7a 100644
--- a/test/app/routes/blog/[slug].html
+++ b/test/app/routes/blog/[slug].html
@@ -59,8 +59,21 @@
 			// is called [slug].html
 			const { slug } = params;
 
-			return fetch(`/api/blog/${slug}`).then(r => r.json()).then(post => {
-				return { post };
+			if (slug === 'throw-an-error') {
+				return this.error(500, 'something went wrong');
+			}
+
+			return fetch(`/api/blog/${slug}`).then(r => {
+				if (r.status === 200) {
+					return r.json().then(post => ({ post }));
+					this.error(r.status, '')
+				}
+
+				if (r.status === 404) {
+					this.error(404, 'Not found');
+				} else {
+					throw new Error('Something went wrong');
+				}
 			});
 		}
 	};
diff --git a/test/common/test.js b/test/common/test.js
index b01a572..da6ccfb 100644
--- a/test/common/test.js
+++ b/test/common/test.js
@@ -308,7 +308,7 @@ function run(env) {
 					});
 			});
 
-			it('redirects on client', () => {
+			it('redirects in client', () => {
 				return nightmare.goto(base)
 					.wait('[href="/redirect-from"]')
 					.click('[href="/redirect-from"]')
@@ -322,6 +322,60 @@ function run(env) {
 						assert.equal(title, 'redirected');
 					});
 			});
+
+			it('handles 4xx error on server', () => {
+				return nightmare.goto(`${base}/blog/nope`)
+					.path()
+					.then(path => {
+						assert.equal(path, '/blog/nope');
+					})
+					.then(() => nightmare.page.title())
+					.then(title => {
+						assert.equal(title, 'Not found')
+					});
+			});
+
+			it('handles 4xx error in client', () => {
+				return nightmare.goto(base)
+					.init()
+					.click('[href="/blog/nope"]')
+					.wait(200)
+					.path()
+					.then(path => {
+						assert.equal(path, '/blog/nope');
+					})
+					.then(() => nightmare.page.title())
+					.then(title => {
+						assert.equal(title, 'Not found');
+					});
+			});
+
+			it('handles non-4xx error on server', () => {
+				return nightmare.goto(`${base}/blog/throw-an-error`)
+					.path()
+					.then(path => {
+						assert.equal(path, '/blog/throw-an-error');
+					})
+					.then(() => nightmare.page.title())
+					.then(title => {
+						assert.equal(title, 'Internal server error')
+					});
+			});
+
+			it('handles non-4xx error in client', () => {
+				return nightmare.goto(base)
+					.init()
+					.click('[href="/blog/throw-an-error"]')
+					.wait(200)
+					.path()
+					.then(path => {
+						assert.equal(path, '/blog/throw-an-error');
+					})
+					.then(() => nightmare.page.title())
+					.then(title => {
+						assert.equal(title, 'Internal server error');
+					});
+			});
 		});
 
 		describe('headers', () => {