diff --git a/src/util/virhostdev.c b/src/util/virhostdev.c
index 389626b9511d1e7a0967bd8fb6b28f43c3f822f4..6ba91ae9e44e77958aa2211c00ab100d7eb43171 100644
--- a/src/util/virhostdev.c
+++ b/src/util/virhostdev.c
@@ -246,12 +246,16 @@ virHostdevGetPCIHostDevice(const virDomainHostdevDef *hostdev,
 
     virPCIDeviceSetManaged(actual, hostdev->managed);
 
-    if (pcisrc->backend == VIR_DOMAIN_HOSTDEV_PCI_BACKEND_VFIO)
+    if (pcisrc->backend == VIR_DOMAIN_HOSTDEV_PCI_BACKEND_VFIO) {
         virPCIDeviceSetStubDriver(actual, VIR_PCI_STUB_DRIVER_VFIO);
-    else if (pcisrc->backend == VIR_DOMAIN_HOSTDEV_PCI_BACKEND_XEN)
+    } else if (pcisrc->backend == VIR_DOMAIN_HOSTDEV_PCI_BACKEND_XEN) {
         virPCIDeviceSetStubDriver(actual, VIR_PCI_STUB_DRIVER_XEN);
-    else
-        virPCIDeviceSetStubDriver(actual, VIR_PCI_STUB_DRIVER_KVM);
+    } else {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED,
+                       _("pci backend driver '%s' is not supported"),
+                       virDomainHostdevSubsysPCIBackendTypeToString(pcisrc->backend));
+        return -1;
+    }
 
     VIR_STEAL_PTR(*pci, actual);
     return 0;