diff --git a/tests/abi_types/test_invalid_abi_types.py b/tests/abi_types/test_invalid_abi_types.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c8566e066f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/abi_types/test_invalid_abi_types.py
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import pytest
+
+from vyper.abi_types import (
+    ABI_Bytes,
+    ABI_BytesM,
+    ABI_DynamicArray,
+    ABI_FixedMxN,
+    ABI_GIntM,
+    ABI_String,
+)
+from vyper.exceptions import InvalidABIType
+
+cases_invalid_types = [
+    (ABI_GIntM, ((0, False), (7, False), (300, True), (300, False))),
+    (ABI_FixedMxN, ((0, 0, False), (8, 0, False), (256, 81, True), (300, 80, False))),
+    (ABI_BytesM, ((0,), (33,), (-10,))),
+    (ABI_Bytes, ((-1,), (-69,))),
+    (ABI_DynamicArray, ((ABI_GIntM(256, False), -1), (ABI_String(256), -10))),
+]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("typ,params_variants", cases_invalid_types)
+def test_invalid_abi_types(assert_compile_failed, typ, params_variants):
+    # double parametrization cannot work because the 2nd dimension is variable
+    for params in params_variants:
+        assert_compile_failed(lambda: typ(*params), InvalidABIType)
diff --git a/vyper/abi_types.py b/vyper/abi_types.py
index b272996aed..051f8db19f 100644
--- a/vyper/abi_types.py
+++ b/vyper/abi_types.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from vyper.exceptions import CompilerPanic
+from vyper.exceptions import InvalidABIType
 from vyper.utils import ceil32
 
 
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ def __repr__(self):
 class ABI_GIntM(ABIType):
     def __init__(self, m_bits, signed):
         if not (0 < m_bits <= 256 and 0 == m_bits % 8):
-            raise CompilerPanic("Invalid M provided for GIntM")
+            raise InvalidABIType("Invalid M provided for GIntM")
 
         self.m_bits = m_bits
         self.signed = signed
@@ -117,9 +117,9 @@ def selector_name(self):
 class ABI_FixedMxN(ABIType):
     def __init__(self, m_bits, n_places, signed):
         if not (0 < m_bits <= 256 and 0 == m_bits % 8):
-            raise CompilerPanic("Invalid M for FixedMxN")
+            raise InvalidABIType("Invalid M for FixedMxN")
         if not (0 < n_places and n_places <= 80):
-            raise CompilerPanic("Invalid N for FixedMxN")
+            raise InvalidABIType("Invalid N for FixedMxN")
 
         self.m_bits = m_bits
         self.n_places = n_places
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ def is_complex_type(self):
 class ABI_BytesM(ABIType):
     def __init__(self, m_bytes):
         if not 0 < m_bytes <= 32:
-            raise CompilerPanic("Invalid M for BytesM")
+            raise InvalidABIType("Invalid M for BytesM")
 
         self.m_bytes = m_bytes
 
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ def selector_name(self):
 class ABI_StaticArray(ABIType):
     def __init__(self, subtyp, m_elems):
         if not m_elems >= 0:
-            raise CompilerPanic("Invalid M")
+            raise InvalidABIType("Invalid M")
 
         self.subtyp = subtyp
         self.m_elems = m_elems
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ def is_complex_type(self):
 class ABI_Bytes(ABIType):
     def __init__(self, bytes_bound):
         if not bytes_bound >= 0:
-            raise CompilerPanic("Negative bytes_bound provided to ABI_Bytes")
+            raise InvalidABIType("Negative bytes_bound provided to ABI_Bytes")
 
         self.bytes_bound = bytes_bound
 
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ def selector_name(self):
 class ABI_DynamicArray(ABIType):
     def __init__(self, subtyp, elems_bound):
         if not elems_bound >= 0:
-            raise CompilerPanic("Negative bound provided to DynamicArray")
+            raise InvalidABIType("Negative bound provided to DynamicArray")
 
         self.subtyp = subtyp
         self.elems_bound = elems_bound
diff --git a/vyper/exceptions.py b/vyper/exceptions.py
index 8b2020285a..3bde20356e 100644
--- a/vyper/exceptions.py
+++ b/vyper/exceptions.py
@@ -336,3 +336,7 @@ class UnfoldableNode(VyperInternalException):
 
 class TypeCheckFailure(VyperInternalException):
     """An issue was not caught during type checking that should have been."""
+
+
+class InvalidABIType(VyperInternalException):
+    """An internal routine constructed an invalid ABI type"""