diff --git a/plugins/statistics_exporter/instance.js b/plugins/statistics_exporter/instance.js
index ff6644b8..d9b74927 100644
--- a/plugins/statistics_exporter/instance.js
+++ b/plugins/statistics_exporter/instance.js
@@ -23,7 +23,12 @@ const instanceGameFlowStatistics = new Gauge(
 class InstancePlugin extends plugin.BaseInstancePlugin {
 	async onMetrics() {
 		let string = await this.instance.server.sendRcon('/sc remote.call("statistics_exporter", "export")');
-		let stats =  JSON.parse(string);
+		let stats;
+		try {
+			stats = JSON.parse(string);
+		} catch (err) {
+			throw new Error(`Error parsing statistics JSON: ${err.message}, content "${string}"`);
+		}
 
 		let instanceId = this.instance.config.id;
 		instanceGameTicksTotal.labels(String(instanceId)).set(stats.game_tick);
diff --git a/plugins/statistics_exporter/test/plugin.js b/plugins/statistics_exporter/test/plugin.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2716e7b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/statistics_exporter/test/plugin.js
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+const assert = require('assert').strict;
+
+const mock = require('../../../test/mock');
+const instance = require('../instance');
+const info = require('../info');
+
+
+describe("statistics_exporter plugin", function() {
+	describe("class InstancePlugin", function() {
+		let instancePlugin;
+		before(async function() {
+			instancePlugin = new instance.InstancePlugin(info, new mock.MockInstance());
+			await instancePlugin.init();
+		});
+
+		describe(".onMetrics()", function() {
+			it("should record statistics", async function() {
+				instancePlugin.instance.server.rconCommandResults.set(
+					'/sc remote.call("statistics_exporter", "export")',
+					JSON.stringify({
+						game_tick: 100,
+						player_count: 3,
+						force_flow_statistics: {
+							player: {
+								item_production_statistics: {
+									input: { "inserter": 10, },
+									output: { "iron-plate": 24, }
+								},
+							}
+						},
+						game_flow_statistics: {
+							pollution_statistics: {
+								input: { "boiler": 2000 },
+								output: { "tree-proxy": 560 },
+							}
+						},
+					})
+				);
+
+				await instancePlugin.onMetrics();
+
+				assert.equal(instance._instancePlayerCount.labels('7357').get(), 3);
+				assert.equal(instance._instanceGameTicksTotal.labels('7357').get(), 100);
+				assert.equal(instance._instanceForceFlowStatistics.labels(
+					'7357', 'player', 'item_production_statistics', 'input', 'inserter').get(),
+				10);
+				assert.equal(instance._instanceGameFlowStatistics.labels(
+					'7357', 'pollution_statistics', 'input', 'boiler').get(),
+				2000);
+			});
+			it("should pass on JSON parse errors", async function() {
+				let string = 'An error occured\n';
+				instancePlugin.instance.server.rconCommandResults.set(
+					'/sc remote.call("statistics_exporter", "export")', string
+				);
+
+				let errorMessage;
+				try {
+					JSON.parse(string);
+				} catch (err) {
+					errorMessage = err.message;
+				}
+
+				await assert.rejects(
+					instancePlugin.onMetrics(),
+					new Error(`Error parsing statistics JSON: ${errorMessage}, content "${string}"`)
+				);
+			});
+		});
+	});
+});