diff --git a/src/init.cpp b/src/init.cpp
--- a/src/init.cpp
+++ b/src/init.cpp
@@ -1907,7 +1907,7 @@
                                           gArgs.GetArg("-minrelaytxfee", ""))
                                  .translated);
         }
-        // High fee check is done afterward in WalletParameterInteraction()
+        // High fee check is done afterward in CWallet::CreateWalletFromFile()
         ::minRelayTxFee = CFeeRate(n);
     }
 
diff --git a/src/wallet/load.h b/src/wallet/load.h
--- a/src/wallet/load.h
+++ b/src/wallet/load.h
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 //! Responsible for reading and validating the -wallet arguments and verifying
 //! the wallet database.
 //  This function will perform salvage on the wallet if requested, as long as
-//  only one wallet is being loaded (WalletParameterInteraction forbids
+//  only one wallet is being loaded (WalletInit::ParameterInteraction() forbids
 //  -salvagewallet, -zapwallettxes or -upgradewallet with multiwallet).
 bool VerifyWallets(const CChainParams &chainParams, interfaces::Chain &chain,
                    const std::vector<std::string> &wallet_files);
diff --git a/src/wallet/wallet.cpp b/src/wallet/wallet.cpp
--- a/src/wallet/wallet.cpp
+++ b/src/wallet/wallet.cpp
@@ -4697,7 +4697,7 @@
 std::shared_ptr<CWallet> CWallet::CreateWalletFromFile(
     const CChainParams &chainParams, interfaces::Chain &chain,
     const WalletLocation &location, uint64_t wallet_creation_flags) {
-    const std::string &walletFile =
+    const std::string walletFile =
         WalletDataFilePath(location.GetPath()).string();
 
     // Needed to restore wallet transaction meta data after -zapwallettxes
diff --git a/test/functional/data/wallets/high_minversion/.walletlock b/test/functional/data/wallets/high_minversion/.walletlock
new file mode 100644
diff --git a/test/functional/data/wallets/high_minversion/db.log b/test/functional/data/wallets/high_minversion/db.log
new file mode 100644
diff --git a/test/functional/data/wallets/high_minversion/wallet.dat b/test/functional/data/wallets/high_minversion/wallet.dat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
GIT binary patch
literal 0
Hc$@<O00001

literal 0
Hc$@<O00001

diff --git a/test/functional/test_framework/util.py b/test/functional/test_framework/util.py
--- a/test/functional/test_framework/util.py
+++ b/test/functional/test_framework/util.py
@@ -83,7 +83,8 @@
     except exc as e:
         if message is not None and message not in e.error['message']:
             raise AssertionError(
-                "Expected substring not found:" + e.error['message'])
+                "Expected substring not found in error message:\nsubstring: '{}'\nerror message: '{}'.".format(
+                    message, e.error['message']))
     except Exception as e:
         raise AssertionError(
             "Unexpected exception raised: " + type(e).__name__)
@@ -151,7 +152,8 @@
                 "Unexpected JSONRPC error code {}".format(e.error["code"]))
         if (message is not None) and (message not in e.error['message']):
             raise AssertionError(
-                "Expected substring not found:" + e.error['message'])
+                "Expected substring not found in error message:\nsubstring: '{}'\nerror message: '{}'.".format(
+                    message, e.error['message']))
         return True
     except Exception as e:
         raise AssertionError(
diff --git a/test/functional/wallet_multiwallet.py b/test/functional/wallet_multiwallet.py
--- a/test/functional/wallet_multiwallet.py
+++ b/test/functional/wallet_multiwallet.py
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
     assert_raises_rpc_error,
 )
 
+FEATURE_LATEST = 200300
+
 
 class MultiWalletTest(BitcoinTestFramework):
     def set_test_params(self):
@@ -27,6 +29,16 @@
     def skip_test_if_missing_module(self):
         self.skip_if_no_wallet()
 
+    def add_options(self, parser):
+        parser.add_argument(
+            '--data_wallets_dir',
+            default=os.path.join(
+                os.path.dirname(
+                    os.path.realpath(__file__)),
+                'data/wallets/'),
+            help='Test data with wallet directories (default: %(default)s)',
+        )
+
     def run_test(self):
         node = self.nodes[0]
 
@@ -405,6 +417,29 @@
         self.nodes[0].unloadwallet(wallet)
         self.nodes[1].loadwallet(wallet)
 
+        # Fail to load if wallet is downgraded
+        shutil.copytree(
+            os.path.join(
+                self.options.data_wallets_dir,
+                'high_minversion'),
+            wallet_dir('high_minversion'))
+        self.restart_node(
+            0, extra_args=[
+                '-upgradewallet={}'.format(FEATURE_LATEST)])
+        assert {'name': 'high_minversion'} in self.nodes[0].listwalletdir()[
+            'wallets']
+        self.log.info("Fail -upgradewallet that results in downgrade")
+        assert_raises_rpc_error(
+            -4,
+            "Wallet loading failed.",
+            lambda: self.nodes[0].loadwallet(filename='high_minversion'),
+        )
+        self.stop_node(
+            i=0,
+            expected_stderr='Error: Error loading {}: Wallet requires newer version of Bitcoin ABC'.format(
+                wallet_dir('high_minversion', 'wallet.dat')),
+        )
+
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     MultiWalletTest().main()