diff --git a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/http/impl/HttpClientRequestBase.java b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/http/impl/HttpClientRequestBase.java
index 1b288a0bd61..ce601b0dcdc 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/http/impl/HttpClientRequestBase.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/http/impl/HttpClientRequestBase.java
@@ -16,10 +16,7 @@
 import io.vertx.core.Future;
 import io.vertx.core.Handler;
 import io.vertx.core.Promise;
-import io.vertx.core.http.HttpClientRequest;
-import io.vertx.core.http.HttpClientResponse;
-import io.vertx.core.http.HttpMethod;
-import io.vertx.core.http.StreamResetException;
+import io.vertx.core.http.*;
 import io.vertx.core.impl.ContextInternal;
 import io.vertx.core.impl.future.PromiseInternal;
 import io.vertx.core.net.HostAndPort;
@@ -48,6 +45,7 @@ public abstract class HttpClientRequestBase implements HttpClientRequest {
   private long currentTimeoutTimerId = -1;
   private long currentTimeoutMs;
   private long lastDataReceived;
+  private Throwable timeoutFired;
 
   HttpClientRequestBase(HttpClientImpl client, HttpClientStream stream, PromiseInternal<HttpClientResponse> responsePromise, boolean ssl, HttpMethod method, SocketAddress server, String host, int port, String uri) {
     this.client = client;
@@ -169,6 +167,13 @@ public synchronized HttpClientRequest setTimeout(long timeoutMs) {
     return this;
   }
 
+  protected Throwable mapException(Throwable t) {
+    if (t instanceof HttpClosedException && timeoutFired != null) {
+      t = timeoutFired;
+    }
+    return t;
+  }
+
   void handleException(Throwable t) {
     fail(t);
   }
@@ -209,6 +214,7 @@ private synchronized long cancelTimeout() {
   }
 
   private void handleTimeout(long timeoutMs) {
+    NoStackTraceTimeoutException cause;
     synchronized (this) {
       currentTimeoutTimerId = -1;
       currentTimeoutMs = 0;
@@ -222,8 +228,10 @@ private void handleTimeout(long timeoutMs) {
           return;
         }
       }
+      cause = timeoutEx(timeoutMs, method, server, uri);
+      timeoutFired = cause;
     }
-    reset(timeoutEx(timeoutMs, method, server, uri));
+    reset(cause);
   }
 
   static NoStackTraceTimeoutException timeoutEx(long timeoutMs, HttpMethod method, SocketAddress server, String uri) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/http/impl/HttpClientRequestImpl.java b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/http/impl/HttpClientRequestImpl.java
index 965f6e18d92..c97dce40774 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/http/impl/HttpClientRequestImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/http/impl/HttpClientRequestImpl.java
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ public class HttpClientRequestImpl extends HttpClientRequestBase implements Http
 
   @Override
   void handleException(Throwable t) {
+    t = mapException(t);
     super.handleException(t);
     if (endPromise.tryFail(t)) {
       Handler<Throwable> handler = exceptionHandler();
diff --git a/src/test/java/io/vertx/core/http/HttpTest.java b/src/test/java/io/vertx/core/http/HttpTest.java
index a1e6a8e9e6d..65ac81a4f3b 100644
--- a/src/test/java/io/vertx/core/http/HttpTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/io/vertx/core/http/HttpTest.java
@@ -3200,9 +3200,7 @@ public void testResponseDataTimeout() {
           AtomicInteger count = new AtomicInteger();
           resp.exceptionHandler(t -> {
             if (count.getAndIncrement() == 0) {
-              assertTrue(
-                t instanceof TimeoutException || /* HTTP/1 */
-                  t instanceof VertxException /* HTTP/2: connection closed */);
+              assertTrue(t instanceof TimeoutException);
               assertEquals(expected, received);
               complete();
             }
@@ -3222,9 +3220,7 @@ public void testResponseDataTimeout() {
         AtomicInteger count = new AtomicInteger();
         req.exceptionHandler(t -> {
           if (count.getAndIncrement() == 0) {
-            assertTrue(
-              t instanceof TimeoutException || /* HTTP/1 */
-                t instanceof VertxException /* HTTP/2: connection closed */);
+            assertTrue(t instanceof TimeoutException);
             assertEquals(expected, received);
             complete();
           }