diff --git a/accounts/abi/bind/backends/simulated.go b/accounts/abi/bind/backends/simulated.go
index 695d81bf0311..4be98adfcac2 100644
--- a/accounts/abi/bind/backends/simulated.go
+++ b/accounts/abi/bind/backends/simulated.go
@@ -479,7 +479,7 @@ func (b *SimulatedBackend) EstimateGas(ctx context.Context, call ethereum.CallMs
 		b.pendingState.RevertToSnapshot(snapshot)
 
 		if err != nil {
-			if err == core.ErrIntrinsicGas {
+			if errors.Is(err, core.ErrIntrinsicGas) {
 				return true, nil, nil // Special case, raise gas limit
 			}
 			return true, nil, err // Bail out
diff --git a/core/blockchain_test.go b/core/blockchain_test.go
index 7ec62b11ddc3..d60a2359813d 100644
--- a/core/blockchain_test.go
+++ b/core/blockchain_test.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 package core
 
 import (
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"math/big"
@@ -468,7 +469,7 @@ func testBadHashes(t *testing.T, full bool) {
 
 		_, err = blockchain.InsertHeaderChain(headers, 1)
 	}
-	if err != ErrBlacklistedHash {
+	if !errors.Is(err, ErrBlacklistedHash) {
 		t.Errorf("error mismatch: have: %v, want: %v", err, ErrBlacklistedHash)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/core/state_processor.go b/core/state_processor.go
index d992dfb9cb17..cdc86a694ea0 100644
--- a/core/state_processor.go
+++ b/core/state_processor.go
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 package core
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
+
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/misc"
@@ -76,7 +78,7 @@ func (p *StateProcessor) Process(block *types.Block, statedb *state.StateDB, cfg
 		statedb.Prepare(tx.Hash(), block.Hash(), i)
 		receipt, err := applyTransaction(msg, p.config, p.bc, nil, gp, statedb, header, tx, usedGas, vmenv)
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, nil, 0, err
+			return nil, nil, 0, fmt.Errorf("could not apply tx %d [%v]: %w", i, tx.Hash().Hex(), err)
 		}
 		receipts = append(receipts, receipt)
 		allLogs = append(allLogs, receipt.Logs...)
diff --git a/core/state_processor_test.go b/core/state_processor_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6e63975ac13b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/state_processor_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+// Copyright 2020 The go-ethereum Authors
+// This file is part of the go-ethereum library.
+//
+// The go-ethereum library is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+// it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by
+// the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+// (at your option) any later version.
+//
+// The go-ethereum library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+// but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+// MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
+// GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.
+//
+// You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+// along with the go-ethereum library. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+package core
+
+import (
+	"math/big"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/consensus/ethash"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/rawdb"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/vm"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/crypto"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/params"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/trie"
+	"golang.org/x/crypto/sha3"
+)
+
+// TestStateProcessorErrors tests the output from the 'core' errors
+// as defined in core/error.go. These errors are generated when the
+// blockchain imports bad blocks, meaning blocks which have valid headers but
+// contain invalid transactions
+func TestStateProcessorErrors(t *testing.T) {
+	var (
+		signer     = types.HomesteadSigner{}
+		testKey, _ = crypto.HexToECDSA("b71c71a67e1177ad4e901695e1b4b9ee17ae16c6668d313eac2f96dbcda3f291")
+		db         = rawdb.NewMemoryDatabase()
+		gspec      = &Genesis{
+			Config: params.TestChainConfig,
+		}
+		genesis       = gspec.MustCommit(db)
+		blockchain, _ = NewBlockChain(db, nil, gspec.Config, ethash.NewFaker(), vm.Config{}, nil, nil)
+	)
+	defer blockchain.Stop()
+	var makeTx = func(nonce uint64, to common.Address, amount *big.Int, gasLimit uint64, gasPrice *big.Int, data []byte) *types.Transaction {
+		tx, _ := types.SignTx(types.NewTransaction(nonce, to, amount, gasLimit, gasPrice, data), signer, testKey)
+		return tx
+	}
+	for i, tt := range []struct {
+		txs  []*types.Transaction
+		want string
+	}{
+		{
+			txs: []*types.Transaction{
+				makeTx(0, common.Address{}, big.NewInt(0), params.TxGas, nil, nil),
+				makeTx(0, common.Address{}, big.NewInt(0), params.TxGas, nil, nil),
+			},
+			want: "could not apply tx 1 [0x36bfa6d14f1cd35a1be8cc2322982a595fabc0e799f09c1de3bad7bd5b1f7626]: nonce too low: address 0x71562b71999873DB5b286dF957af199Ec94617F7, tx: 0 state: 1",
+		},
+		{
+			txs: []*types.Transaction{
+				makeTx(100, common.Address{}, big.NewInt(0), params.TxGas, nil, nil),
+			},
+			want: "could not apply tx 0 [0x51cd272d41ef6011d8138e18bf4043797aca9b713c7d39a97563f9bbe6bdbe6f]: nonce too high: address 0x71562b71999873DB5b286dF957af199Ec94617F7, tx: 100 state: 0",
+		},
+		{
+			txs: []*types.Transaction{
+				makeTx(0, common.Address{}, big.NewInt(0), 21000000, nil, nil),
+			},
+			want: "could not apply tx 0 [0x54c58b530824b0bb84b7a98183f08913b5d74e1cebc368515ef3c65edf8eb56a]: gas limit reached",
+		},
+		{
+			txs: []*types.Transaction{
+				makeTx(0, common.Address{}, big.NewInt(1), params.TxGas, nil, nil),
+			},
+			want: "could not apply tx 0 [0x3094b17498940d92b13baccf356ce8bfd6f221e926abc903d642fa1466c5b50e]: insufficient funds for transfer: address 0x71562b71999873DB5b286dF957af199Ec94617F7",
+		},
+		{
+			txs: []*types.Transaction{
+				makeTx(0, common.Address{}, big.NewInt(0), params.TxGas, big.NewInt(0xffffff), nil),
+			},
+			want: "could not apply tx 0 [0xaa3f7d86802b1f364576d9071bf231e31d61b392d306831ac9cf706ff5371ce0]: insufficient funds for gas * price + value: address 0x71562b71999873DB5b286dF957af199Ec94617F7 have 0 want 352321515000",
+		},
+		{
+			txs: []*types.Transaction{
+				makeTx(0, common.Address{}, big.NewInt(0), params.TxGas, nil, nil),
+				makeTx(1, common.Address{}, big.NewInt(0), params.TxGas, nil, nil),
+				makeTx(2, common.Address{}, big.NewInt(0), params.TxGas, nil, nil),
+				makeTx(3, common.Address{}, big.NewInt(0), params.TxGas-1000, big.NewInt(0), nil),
+			},
+			want: "could not apply tx 3 [0x836fab5882205362680e49b311a20646de03b630920f18ec6ee3b111a2cf6835]: intrinsic gas too low: have 20000, want 21000",
+		},
+		// The last 'core' error is ErrGasUintOverflow: "gas uint64 overflow", but in order to
+		// trigger that one, we'd have to allocate a _huge_ chunk of data, such that the
+		// multiplication len(data) +gas_per_byte overflows uint64. Not testable at the moment
+	} {
+		block := GenerateBadBlock(genesis, ethash.NewFaker(), tt.txs)
+		_, err := blockchain.InsertChain(types.Blocks{block})
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Fatal("block imported without errors")
+		}
+		if have, want := err.Error(), tt.want; have != want {
+			t.Errorf("test %d:\nhave \"%v\"\nwant \"%v\"\n", i, have, want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// GenerateBadBlock constructs a "block" which contains the transactions. The transactions are not expected to be
+// valid, and no proper post-state can be made. But from the perspective of the blockchain, the block is sufficiently
+// valid to be considered for import:
+// - valid pow (fake), ancestry, difficulty, gaslimit etc
+func GenerateBadBlock(parent *types.Block, engine consensus.Engine, txs types.Transactions) *types.Block {
+	header := &types.Header{
+		ParentHash: parent.Hash(),
+		Coinbase:   parent.Coinbase(),
+		Difficulty: engine.CalcDifficulty(&fakeChainReader{params.TestChainConfig}, parent.Time()+10, &types.Header{
+			Number:     parent.Number(),
+			Time:       parent.Time(),
+			Difficulty: parent.Difficulty(),
+			UncleHash:  parent.UncleHash(),
+		}),
+		GasLimit:  CalcGasLimit(parent, parent.GasLimit(), parent.GasLimit()),
+		Number:    new(big.Int).Add(parent.Number(), common.Big1),
+		Time:      parent.Time() + 10,
+		UncleHash: types.EmptyUncleHash,
+	}
+	var receipts []*types.Receipt
+
+	// The post-state result doesn't need to be correct (this is a bad block), but we do need something there
+	// Preferably something unique. So let's use a combo of blocknum + txhash
+	hasher := sha3.NewLegacyKeccak256()
+	hasher.Write(header.Number.Bytes())
+	var cumulativeGas uint64
+	for _, tx := range txs {
+		txh := tx.Hash()
+		hasher.Write(txh[:])
+		receipt := types.NewReceipt(nil, false, cumulativeGas+tx.Gas())
+		receipt.TxHash = tx.Hash()
+		receipt.GasUsed = tx.Gas()
+		receipts = append(receipts, receipt)
+		cumulativeGas += tx.Gas()
+	}
+	header.Root = common.BytesToHash(hasher.Sum(nil))
+	// Assemble and return the final block for sealing
+	return types.NewBlock(header, txs, nil, receipts, new(trie.Trie))
+}
diff --git a/core/state_transition.go b/core/state_transition.go
index 72e8b02a1cb5..a8d1936c1f76 100644
--- a/core/state_transition.go
+++ b/core/state_transition.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 package core
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"math"
 	"math/big"
 
@@ -174,8 +175,8 @@ func (st *StateTransition) to() common.Address {
 
 func (st *StateTransition) buyGas() error {
 	mgval := new(big.Int).Mul(new(big.Int).SetUint64(st.msg.Gas()), st.gasPrice)
-	if st.state.GetBalance(st.msg.From()).Cmp(mgval) < 0 {
-		return ErrInsufficientFunds
+	if have, want := st.state.GetBalance(st.msg.From()), mgval; have.Cmp(want) < 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%w: address %v have %v want %v", ErrInsufficientFunds, st.msg.From().Hex(), have, want)
 	}
 	if err := st.gp.SubGas(st.msg.Gas()); err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -190,11 +191,13 @@ func (st *StateTransition) buyGas() error {
 func (st *StateTransition) preCheck() error {
 	// Make sure this transaction's nonce is correct.
 	if st.msg.CheckNonce() {
-		nonce := st.state.GetNonce(st.msg.From())
-		if nonce < st.msg.Nonce() {
-			return ErrNonceTooHigh
-		} else if nonce > st.msg.Nonce() {
-			return ErrNonceTooLow
+		stNonce := st.state.GetNonce(st.msg.From())
+		if msgNonce := st.msg.Nonce(); stNonce < msgNonce {
+			return fmt.Errorf("%w: address %v, tx: %d state: %d", ErrNonceTooHigh,
+				st.msg.From().Hex(), msgNonce, stNonce)
+		} else if stNonce > msgNonce {
+			return fmt.Errorf("%w: address %v, tx: %d state: %d", ErrNonceTooLow,
+				st.msg.From().Hex(), msgNonce, stNonce)
 		}
 	}
 	return st.buyGas()
@@ -240,13 +243,13 @@ func (st *StateTransition) TransitionDb() (*ExecutionResult, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	if st.gas < gas {
-		return nil, ErrIntrinsicGas
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: have %d, want %d", ErrIntrinsicGas, st.gas, gas)
 	}
 	st.gas -= gas
 
 	// Check clause 6
 	if msg.Value().Sign() > 0 && !st.evm.Context.CanTransfer(st.state, msg.From(), msg.Value()) {
-		return nil, ErrInsufficientFundsForTransfer
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: address %v", ErrInsufficientFundsForTransfer, msg.From().Hex())
 	}
 	var (
 		ret   []byte
diff --git a/core/tx_pool_test.go b/core/tx_pool_test.go
index dbc49d4f9c3d..246b3977d39d 100644
--- a/core/tx_pool_test.go
+++ b/core/tx_pool_test.go
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ func TestInvalidTransactions(t *testing.T) {
 	from, _ := deriveSender(tx)
 
 	pool.currentState.AddBalance(from, big.NewInt(1))
-	if err := pool.AddRemote(tx); err != ErrInsufficientFunds {
+	if err := pool.AddRemote(tx); !errors.Is(err, ErrInsufficientFunds) {
 		t.Error("expected", ErrInsufficientFunds)
 	}
 
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ func TestInvalidTransactions(t *testing.T) {
 	pool.currentState.SetNonce(from, 1)
 	pool.currentState.AddBalance(from, big.NewInt(0xffffffffffffff))
 	tx = transaction(0, 100000, key)
-	if err := pool.AddRemote(tx); err != ErrNonceTooLow {
+	if err := pool.AddRemote(tx); !errors.Is(err, ErrNonceTooLow) {
 		t.Error("expected", ErrNonceTooLow)
 	}
 
diff --git a/light/lightchain_test.go b/light/lightchain_test.go
index 70d2e70c189d..2aed08d74edf 100644
--- a/light/lightchain_test.go
+++ b/light/lightchain_test.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package light
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"math/big"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -321,7 +322,7 @@ func TestBadHeaderHashes(t *testing.T) {
 	var err error
 	headers := makeHeaderChainWithDiff(bc.genesisBlock, []int{1, 2, 4}, 10)
 	core.BadHashes[headers[2].Hash()] = true
-	if _, err = bc.InsertHeaderChain(headers, 1); err != core.ErrBlacklistedHash {
+	if _, err = bc.InsertHeaderChain(headers, 1); !errors.Is(err, core.ErrBlacklistedHash) {
 		t.Errorf("error mismatch: have: %v, want %v", err, core.ErrBlacklistedHash)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/miner/worker.go b/miner/worker.go
index 16f4c1c31393..d5813c18a866 100644
--- a/miner/worker.go
+++ b/miner/worker.go
@@ -793,23 +793,23 @@ func (w *worker) commitTransactions(txs *types.TransactionsByPriceAndNonce, coin
 		w.current.state.Prepare(tx.Hash(), common.Hash{}, w.current.tcount)
 
 		logs, err := w.commitTransaction(tx, coinbase)
-		switch err {
-		case core.ErrGasLimitReached:
+		switch {
+		case errors.Is(err, core.ErrGasLimitReached):
 			// Pop the current out-of-gas transaction without shifting in the next from the account
 			log.Trace("Gas limit exceeded for current block", "sender", from)
 			txs.Pop()
 
-		case core.ErrNonceTooLow:
+		case errors.Is(err, core.ErrNonceTooLow):
 			// New head notification data race between the transaction pool and miner, shift
 			log.Trace("Skipping transaction with low nonce", "sender", from, "nonce", tx.Nonce())
 			txs.Shift()
 
-		case core.ErrNonceTooHigh:
+		case errors.Is(err, core.ErrNonceTooHigh):
 			// Reorg notification data race between the transaction pool and miner, skip account =
 			log.Trace("Skipping account with hight nonce", "sender", from, "nonce", tx.Nonce())
 			txs.Pop()
 
-		case nil:
+		case errors.Is(err, nil):
 			// Everything ok, collect the logs and shift in the next transaction from the same account
 			coalescedLogs = append(coalescedLogs, logs...)
 			w.current.tcount++