diff --git a/lib/vagrant/environment.rb b/lib/vagrant/environment.rb
index 0ad8601e8..0647301d9 100644
--- a/lib/vagrant/environment.rb
+++ b/lib/vagrant/environment.rb
@@ -369,8 +369,8 @@ module Vagrant
         return key if impl.usable?(false)
       end
 
-      # If all else fails, return VirtualBox
-      return :virtualbox
+      # No providers available is a critical error for Vagrant.
+      raise Errors::NoDefaultProvider
     end
 
     # Returns the collection of boxes for the environment.
diff --git a/lib/vagrant/errors.rb b/lib/vagrant/errors.rb
index 7fb23da1d..6590eab2e 100644
--- a/lib/vagrant/errors.rb
+++ b/lib/vagrant/errors.rb
@@ -476,6 +476,10 @@ module Vagrant
       error_key(:nfs_client_not_installed_in_guest)
     end
 
+    class NoDefaultProvider < VagrantError
+      error_key(:no_default_provider)
+    end
+
     class NoDefaultSyncedFolderImpl < VagrantError
       error_key(:no_default_synced_folder_impl)
     end
diff --git a/templates/locales/en.yml b/templates/locales/en.yml
index 6acf81274..82e8ba051 100644
--- a/templates/locales/en.yml
+++ b/templates/locales/en.yml
@@ -861,6 +861,21 @@ en:
 
         If this message is erroneous, you may disable this check by setting
         `config.nfs.verify_installed` to `false` in your Vagrantfile.
+      no_default_provider: |-
+        No usable default provider could be found for your system.
+
+        Vagrant relies on interactions with 3rd party systems, known as
+        "providers", to provide Vagrant with resources to run development
+        environments. Examples are VirtualBox, VMware, Hyper-V.
+
+        The easiest solution to this message is to install VirtualBox, which
+        is available for free on all major platforms.
+
+        If you believe you already have a provider available, make sure it
+        is properly installed and configured. You can see more details about
+        why a particular provider isn't working by forcing usage with
+        `vagrant up --provider=PROVIDER`, which should give you a more specific
+        error message for that particular provider.
       no_default_synced_folder_impl: |-
         No synced folder implementation is available for your synced folders!
         Please consult the documentation to learn why this may be the case.