diff --git a/src/mbgl/util/assert.hpp b/src/mbgl/util/assert.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0c2f63f8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mbgl/util/assert.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#ifndef MBGL_UTIL_ASSERT
+#define MBGL_UTIL_ASSERT
+
+#include <cassert>
+
+// Based on FreeBSD's src/include/assert.h
+// Licensed under the original BSD license
+#define assert_always(expr)                                                                        \
+    ((void)((expr) ? ((void)0) : ((void)fprintf(stderr, "%s:%u: failed assertion `%s'\n",          \
+                                                __FILE__, __LINE__, #expr),                        \
+                                  abort())))
+
+#endif
diff --git a/test/miscellaneous/assert.cpp b/test/miscellaneous/assert.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f3eba009f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/miscellaneous/assert.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#include "../fixtures/util.hpp"
+
+#include <mbgl/util/assert.hpp>
+
+using namespace mbgl;
+
+TEST(Assert, Always) {
+    EXPECT_DEATH(assert_always(true == false), "failed assertion `true == false'");
+}
diff --git a/test/test.gypi b/test/test.gypi
index 374e81344..f3d6976dd 100644
--- a/test/test.gypi
+++ b/test/test.gypi
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
 
         'headless/headless.cpp',
 
+        'miscellaneous/assert.cpp',
         'miscellaneous/clip_ids.cpp',
         'miscellaneous/binpack.cpp',
         'miscellaneous/bilinear.cpp',