diff --git a/pkg/container/container.go b/pkg/container/container.go
index ab534f5e9..af136ce47 100644
--- a/pkg/container/container.go
+++ b/pkg/container/container.go
@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ type Container interface {
 //   * docker
 func NewContainer(ctx *context.Context, driver string, url string) (Container, error) {
 	switch driver {
+	case "":
+		return nil, ErrNoContainerDriver{}
 	case "docker":
 		cli, err := NewDockerClient(ctx)
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/container/container_test.go b/pkg/container/container_test.go
index ed4a51a5d..3026e7549 100644
--- a/pkg/container/container_test.go
+++ b/pkg/container/container_test.go
@@ -16,20 +16,25 @@ package container
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"fmt"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
 
 func TestNewContainer(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assert.New(t)
+
 	ctx := context.Background()
-	_, actualErr := NewContainer(&ctx, "test_drv", "")
-	expectedErr := ErrContainerDrvNotSupported{Driver: "test_drv"}
-	errS := fmt.Sprintf(
-		"Call NewContainer should have returned error %s, got %s",
-		expectedErr,
-		actualErr,
-	)
-	assert.Equal(t, actualErr, expectedErr, errS)
+
+	t.Run("not-supported-container", func(t *testing.T) {
+		cnt, err := NewContainer(&ctx, "test_drv", "")
+		assert.Equal(nil, cnt)
+		assert.Equal(ErrContainerDrvNotSupported{Driver: "test_drv"}, err)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("empty-container", func(t *testing.T) {
+		cnt, err := NewContainer(&ctx, "", "")
+		assert.Equal(nil, cnt)
+		assert.Equal(ErrNoContainerDriver{}, err)
+	})
 }
diff --git a/pkg/container/errors.go b/pkg/container/errors.go
index 13703db2c..a465560be 100644
--- a/pkg/container/errors.go
+++ b/pkg/container/errors.go
@@ -44,3 +44,11 @@ type ErrContainerDrvNotSupported struct {
 func (e ErrContainerDrvNotSupported) Error() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("Driver %s is not supported", e.Driver)
 }
+
+// ErrNoContainerDriver returned if no runtime defined in config
+type ErrNoContainerDriver struct {
+}
+
+func (e ErrNoContainerDriver) Error() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("container runtime is not defined in airshipctl config")
+}