diff --git a/lib/v8.js b/lib/v8.js
index 1a8c70c6d75..5be59cb935c 100644
--- a/lib/v8.js
+++ b/lib/v8.js
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ const {
 } = internalBinding('serdes');
 const assert = require('internal/assert');
 const { copy } = internalBinding('buffer');
+const { inspect } = require('internal/util/inspect');
 const { FastBuffer } = require('internal/buffer');
 const { getValidatedPath } = require('internal/fs/utils');
 const { toNamespacedPath } = require('path');
@@ -242,7 +243,8 @@ class DefaultSerializer extends Serializer {
       i = arrayBufferViewTypeToIndex.get(tag);
 
       if (i === undefined) {
-        throw new this._getDataCloneError(`Unknown host object type: ${tag}`);
+        throw new this._getDataCloneError(
+          `Unserializable host object: ${inspect(abView)}`);
       }
     }
     this.writeUint32(i);
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-v8-serdes.js b/test/parallel/test-v8-serdes.js
index 58b919066ea..a992ba42ce4 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-v8-serdes.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-v8-serdes.js
@@ -156,8 +156,10 @@ const deserializerTypeError =
 }
 
 {
-  assert.throws(() => v8.serialize(hostObject),
-                /^Error: Unknown host object type: \[object .*\]$/);
+  assert.throws(() => v8.serialize(hostObject), {
+    constructor: Error,
+    message: 'Unserializable host object: JSStream {}'
+  });
 }
 
 {