diff --git a/aws/data_source_aws_instance_test.go b/aws/data_source_aws_instance_test.go
index fe48f56a516..a864173bb87 100644
--- a/aws/data_source_aws_instance_test.go
+++ b/aws/data_source_aws_instance_test.go
@@ -473,11 +473,7 @@ func TestAccAWSInstanceDataSource_metadataOptions(t *testing.T) {
 	rName := acctest.RandomWithPrefix("tf-acc-test")
 
 	resource.ParallelTest(t, resource.TestCase{
-		// No subnet_id specified requires default VPC or EC2-Classic.
-		PreCheck: func() {
-			testAccPreCheck(t)
-			testAccPreCheckHasDefaultVpcOrEc2Classic(t)
-		},
+		PreCheck:  func() { testAccPreCheck(t) },
 		Providers: testAccProviders,
 		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
 			{
@@ -893,11 +889,13 @@ data "aws_instance" "test" {
 func testAccInstanceDataSourceConfig_metadataOptions(rName string) string {
 	return composeConfig(
 		testAccLatestAmazonLinuxHvmEbsAmiConfig(),
+		testAccAwsInstanceVpcConfig(rName, false),
 		testAccAvailableEc2InstanceTypeForRegion("t3.micro", "t2.micro"),
 		fmt.Sprintf(`
 resource "aws_instance" "test" {
   ami           = data.aws_ami.amzn-ami-minimal-hvm-ebs.id
   instance_type = data.aws_ec2_instance_type_offering.available.instance_type
+  subnet_id     = aws_subnet.test.id
 
   tags = {
     Name = %[1]q
diff --git a/aws/provider_test.go b/aws/provider_test.go
index 1b9ace8063b..de1b2a3554c 100644
--- a/aws/provider_test.go
+++ b/aws/provider_test.go
@@ -1278,16 +1278,19 @@ func testAccCheckAWSProviderPartition(providers *[]*schema.Provider, expectedPar
 	}
 }
 
-// testAccPreCheckHasDefaultVpcOrEc2Classic checks that the test region has a default VPC or has the EC2-Classic platform.
+// testAccPreCheckEc2ClassicOrHasDefaultVpcWithDefaultSubnets checks that the test region has either
+// - The EC2-Classic platform available, or
+// - A default VPC with default subnets.
 // This check is useful to ensure that an instance can be launched without specifying a subnet.
-func testAccPreCheckHasDefaultVpcOrEc2Classic(t *testing.T) {
+func testAccPreCheckEc2ClassicOrHasDefaultVpcWithDefaultSubnets(t *testing.T) {
 	client := testAccProvider.Meta().(*AWSClient)
 
-	if !testAccHasDefaultVpc(t) && !hasEc2Classic(client.supportedplatforms) {
-		t.Skipf("skipping tests; %s does not have a default VPC or EC2-Classic", client.region)
+	if !hasEc2Classic(client.supportedplatforms) && !(testAccHasDefaultVpc(t) && testAccDefaultSubnetCount(t) > 0) {
+		t.Skipf("skipping tests; %s does not have EC2-Classic or a default VPC with default subnets", client.region)
 	}
 }
 
+// testAccHasDefaultVpc returns whether the current AWS region has a default VPC.
 func testAccHasDefaultVpc(t *testing.T) bool {
 	conn := testAccProvider.Meta().(*AWSClient).ec2conn
 
@@ -1307,6 +1310,26 @@ func testAccHasDefaultVpc(t *testing.T) bool {
 	return true
 }
 
+// testAccDefaultSubnetCount returns the number of default subnets in the current region's default VPC.
+func testAccDefaultSubnetCount(t *testing.T) int {
+	conn := testAccProvider.Meta().(*AWSClient).ec2conn
+
+	input := &ec2.DescribeSubnetsInput{
+		Filters: buildEC2AttributeFilterList(map[string]string{
+			"defaultForAz": "true",
+		}),
+	}
+	output, err := conn.DescribeSubnets(input)
+	if testAccPreCheckSkipError(err) {
+		return 0
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("error describing default subnets: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	return len(output.Subnets)
+}
+
 func testAccAWSProviderConfigEndpoints(endpoints string) string {
 	//lintignore:AT004
 	return fmt.Sprintf(`
diff --git a/aws/resource_aws_instance_test.go b/aws/resource_aws_instance_test.go
index 8b7fd7316dc..e3038ff7ee4 100644
--- a/aws/resource_aws_instance_test.go
+++ b/aws/resource_aws_instance_test.go
@@ -151,6 +151,38 @@ func TestFetchRootDevice(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestAccAWSInstance_basic(t *testing.T) {
+	var v ec2.Instance
+	resourceName := "aws_instance.test"
+
+	resource.ParallelTest(t, resource.TestCase{
+		// No subnet_id specified requires default VPC with default subnets or EC2-Classic.
+		PreCheck: func() {
+			testAccPreCheck(t)
+			testAccPreCheckEc2ClassicOrHasDefaultVpcWithDefaultSubnets(t)
+		},
+		IDRefreshName: resourceName,
+		Providers:     testAccProviders,
+		CheckDestroy:  testAccCheckInstanceDestroy,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			{
+				Config: testAccInstanceConfigBasic(),
+				Check: resource.ComposeTestCheckFunc(
+					testAccCheckInstanceExists(resourceName, &v),
+					testAccMatchResourceAttrRegionalARN(resourceName, "arn", "ec2", regexp.MustCompile(`instance/i-[a-z0-9]+`)),
+				),
+			},
+			{
+				ResourceName:      resourceName,
+				ImportState:       true,
+				ImportStateVerify: true,
+				// Required for EC2-Classic.
+				ImportStateVerifyIgnore: []string{"source_dest_check"},
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}
+
 func TestAccAWSInstance_inDefaultVpcBySgName(t *testing.T) {
 	var v ec2.Instance
 	resourceName := "aws_instance.test"
@@ -233,7 +265,7 @@ func TestAccAWSInstance_inEc2Classic(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
-func TestAccAWSInstance_basic(t *testing.T) {
+func TestAccAWSInstance_atLeastOneOtherEbsVolume(t *testing.T) {
 	var v ec2.Instance
 	var vol *ec2.Volume
 	resourceName := "aws_instance.test"
@@ -3107,11 +3139,7 @@ func TestAccAWSInstance_metadataOptions(t *testing.T) {
 	rName := acctest.RandomWithPrefix("tf-acc-test")
 
 	resource.ParallelTest(t, resource.TestCase{
-		// No subnet_id specified requires default VPC or EC2-Classic.
-		PreCheck: func() {
-			testAccPreCheck(t)
-			testAccPreCheckHasDefaultVpcOrEc2Classic(t)
-		},
+		PreCheck:      func() { testAccPreCheck(t) },
 		IDRefreshName: resourceName,
 		Providers:     testAccProviders,
 		CheckDestroy:  testAccCheckInstanceDestroy,
@@ -3342,6 +3370,20 @@ data "aws_availability_zones" "current" {
 `, exclude)
 }
 
+func testAccInstanceConfigBasic() string {
+	return composeConfig(
+		testAccLatestAmazonLinuxHvmEbsAmiConfig(),
+		// https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ec2-classic-platform.html#ec2-classic-instance-types
+		testAccAvailableEc2InstanceTypeForRegion("t1.micro", "m1.small", "t3.micro", "t2.micro"),
+		fmt.Sprintf(`
+resource "aws_instance" "test" {
+  ami           = data.aws_ami.amzn-ami-minimal-hvm-ebs.id
+  instance_type = data.aws_ec2_instance_type_offering.available.instance_type
+  # Explicitly no tags so as to test creation without tags.
+}
+`))
+}
+
 func testAccInstanceConfigInDefaultVpcBySgName(rName string) string {
 	return testAccLatestAmazonLinuxHvmEbsAmiConfig() + fmt.Sprintf(`
 data "aws_availability_zones" "current" {
@@ -4945,7 +4987,7 @@ data "aws_ami" "win2016core-ami" {
 }
 
 // testAccAwsInstanceVpcConfig returns the configuration for tests that create
-//   1) a VPC with IPv6 support
+//   1) a VPC without IPv6 support
 //   2) a subnet in the VPC
 // The resources are named 'test'.
 func testAccAwsInstanceVpcConfig(rName string, mapPublicIpOnLaunch bool) string {
@@ -5138,11 +5180,13 @@ resource "aws_instance" "test" {
 func testAccInstanceConfigMetadataOptions(rName string) string {
 	return composeConfig(
 		testAccLatestAmazonLinuxHvmEbsAmiConfig(),
+		testAccAwsInstanceVpcConfig(rName, false),
 		testAccAvailableEc2InstanceTypeForRegion("t3.micro", "t2.micro"),
 		fmt.Sprintf(`
 resource "aws_instance" "test" {
   ami           = data.aws_ami.amzn-ami-minimal-hvm-ebs.id
   instance_type = data.aws_ec2_instance_type_offering.available.instance_type
+  subnet_id     = aws_subnet.test.id
 
   tags = {
     Name = %[1]q
@@ -5162,11 +5206,13 @@ data "aws_instance" "test" {
 func testAccInstanceConfigMetadataOptionsUpdated(rName string) string {
 	return composeConfig(
 		testAccLatestAmazonLinuxHvmEbsAmiConfig(),
+		testAccAwsInstanceVpcConfig(rName, false),
 		testAccAvailableEc2InstanceTypeForRegion("t3.micro", "t2.micro"),
 		fmt.Sprintf(`
 resource "aws_instance" "test" {
   ami           = data.aws_ami.amzn-ami-minimal-hvm-ebs.id
   instance_type = data.aws_ec2_instance_type_offering.available.instance_type
+  subnet_id     = aws_subnet.test.id
 
   tags = {
     Name = %[1]q