diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr.c b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
index e35214bfc35d21428ef0af23db49cc08a2a16c6a..9e7088a1923f0157c7e55927899d000cabf318f2 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
@@ -2314,17 +2314,29 @@ static void spapr_set_vsmt_mode(sPAPRMachineState *spapr, Error **errp)
     if (kvm_enabled() && (spapr->vsmt != kvm_smt)) {
         ret = kvmppc_set_smt_threads(spapr->vsmt);
         if (ret) {
+            /* Looks like KVM isn't able to change VSMT mode */
             error_setg(&local_err,
                        "Failed to set KVM's VSMT mode to %d (errno %d)",
                        spapr->vsmt, ret);
-            if (!vsmt_user) {
-                error_append_hint(&local_err, "On PPC, a VM with %d threads/"
-                             "core on a host with %d threads/core requires "
-                             " the use of VSMT mode %d.\n",
-                             smp_threads, kvm_smt, spapr->vsmt);
+            /* We can live with that if the default one is big enough
+             * for the number of threads, and a submultiple of the one
+             * we want.  In this case we'll waste some vcpu ids, but
+             * behaviour will be correct */
+            if ((kvm_smt >= smp_threads) && ((spapr->vsmt % kvm_smt) == 0)) {
+                warn_report_err(local_err);
+                local_err = NULL;
+                goto out;
+            } else {
+                if (!vsmt_user) {
+                    error_append_hint(&local_err,
+                                      "On PPC, a VM with %d threads/core"
+                                      " on a host with %d threads/core"
+                                      " requires the use of VSMT mode %d.\n",
+                                      smp_threads, kvm_smt, spapr->vsmt);
+                }
+                kvmppc_hint_smt_possible(&local_err);
+                goto out;
             }
-            kvmppc_hint_smt_possible(&local_err);
-            goto out;
         }
     }
     /* else TCG: nothing to do currently */