diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index cbf8802..ef45189 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
     "@typescript-eslint/eslint-plugin": "^2.1.0",
     "@typescript-eslint/parser": "^2.1.0",
     "@typescript-eslint/typescript-estree": "^2.1.0",
+    "ajv8": "npm:ajv@^8.6.3",
     "dockest": "^2.1.0",
     "eslint": "^6.3.0",
     "eslint-config-prettier": "^6.1.0",
diff --git a/src/@types.ts b/src/@types.ts
index 7d122ae..944418f 100644
--- a/src/@types.ts
+++ b/src/@types.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { Resolver, ForSchemaOptions } from 'avsc'
+import { ValidateFunction } from './JsonSchema'
 import Ajv from 'ajv'
 
 export enum SchemaType {
@@ -14,7 +15,11 @@ export interface SchemaHelper {
 }
 
 export type AvroOptions = Partial<ForSchemaOptions>
-export type JsonOptions = ConstructorParameters<typeof Ajv>[0] & { ajvInstance?: Ajv }
+export type JsonOptions = ConstructorParameters<typeof Ajv>[0] & {
+  ajvInstance?: {
+    compile: (schema: any) => ValidateFunction
+  }
+}
 export type ProtoOptions = { messageName: string }
 
 export interface LegacyOptions {
diff --git a/src/JsonSchema.ts b/src/JsonSchema.ts
index 5186cd8..8085e0c 100644
--- a/src/JsonSchema.ts
+++ b/src/JsonSchema.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,26 @@
 import { Schema, JsonOptions, ConfluentSchema } from './@types'
-import Ajv, { DefinedError, ValidateFunction } from 'ajv'
+import Ajv from 'ajv'
 import { ConfluentSchemaRegistryValidationError } from './errors'
 
+interface BaseAjvValidationError {
+  data?: unknown
+  schema?: unknown
+}
+
+interface OldAjvValidationError extends BaseAjvValidationError {
+  dataPath: string
+  instancePath?: string
+}
+interface NewAjvValidationError extends BaseAjvValidationError {
+  instancePath: string
+}
+
+type AjvValidationError = OldAjvValidationError | NewAjvValidationError
+
+export interface ValidateFunction {
+  (this: any, data: any): boolean
+  errors?: null | AjvValidationError[]
+}
 export default class JsonSchema implements Schema {
   private validate: ValidateFunction
 
@@ -39,12 +58,17 @@ export default class JsonSchema implements Schema {
   ): boolean {
     if (!this.validate(payload)) {
       if (opts?.errorHook) {
-        for (const err of this.validate.errors as DefinedError[]) {
-          opts.errorHook([err.dataPath], err.data, err.schema)
+        for (const err of this.validate.errors as AjvValidationError[]) {
+          const path = this.isOldAjvValidationError(err) ? err.dataPath : err.instancePath
+          opts.errorHook([path], err.data, err.schema)
         }
       }
       return false
     }
     return true
   }
+
+  private isOldAjvValidationError(error: AjvValidationError): error is OldAjvValidationError {
+    return (error as OldAjvValidationError).dataPath != null
+  }
 }
diff --git a/src/SchemaRegistry.newApi.spec.ts b/src/SchemaRegistry.newApi.spec.ts
index 4534e5f..75f1d9a 100644
--- a/src/SchemaRegistry.newApi.spec.ts
+++ b/src/SchemaRegistry.newApi.spec.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ import encodedAnotherPersonV2Json from '../fixtures/json/encodedAnotherPersonV2'
 import encodedAnotherPersonV2Proto from '../fixtures/proto/encodedAnotherPersonV2'
 import encodedNestedV2Proto from '../fixtures/proto/encodedNestedV2'
 import wrongMagicByte from '../fixtures/wrongMagicByte'
+import Ajv2020 from 'ajv8/dist/2020'
+import Ajv from 'ajv'
+import { ConfluentSchemaRegistryValidationError } from './errors'
 
 const REGISTRY_HOST = 'http://localhost:8982'
 const schemaRegistryAPIClientArgs = { host: REGISTRY_HOST }
@@ -561,4 +564,38 @@ describe('SchemaRegistry - new Api', () => {
       })
     })
   })
+
+  describe('JSON Schema tests', () => {
+    describe('passing an Ajv instance in the constructor', () => {
+      test.each([
+        ['Ajv 7', new Ajv()],
+        ['Ajv2020', new Ajv2020()],
+      ])(
+        'Errors are thrown with their path in %s when the validation fails',
+        async (_, ajvInstance) => {
+          expect.assertions(3)
+          const registry = new SchemaRegistry(schemaRegistryArgs, {
+            [SchemaType.JSON]: { ajvInstance },
+          })
+          const subject: ConfluentSubject = {
+            name: [SchemaType.JSON, 'com.org.domain.fixtures', 'AnotherPerson'].join('.'),
+          }
+          const schema: ConfluentSchema = {
+            type: SchemaType.JSON,
+            schema: schemaStringsByType[SchemaType.JSON].v1,
+          }
+
+          const { id: schemaId } = await registry.register(schema, { subject: subject.name })
+
+          try {
+            await schemaRegistry.encode(schemaId, { fullName: true })
+          } catch (error) {
+            expect(error).toBeInstanceOf(ConfluentSchemaRegistryValidationError)
+            expect(error.message).toEqual('invalid payload')
+            expect(error.paths).toEqual([['/fullName']])
+          }
+        },
+      )
+    })
+  })
 })
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 1934768..821b9bf 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -709,6 +709,16 @@ acorn@^7.1.0, acorn@^7.1.1:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/acorn/-/acorn-7.1.1.tgz#e35668de0b402f359de515c5482a1ab9f89a69bf"
   integrity sha512-add7dgA5ppRPxCFJoAGfMDi7PIBXq1RtGo7BhbLaxwrXPOmw8gq48Y9ozT01hUKy9byMjlR20EJhu5zlkErEkg==
 
+"ajv8@npm:ajv@^8.6.3":
+  version "8.6.3"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/ajv/-/ajv-8.6.3.tgz#11a66527761dc3e9a3845ea775d2d3c0414e8764"
+  integrity sha512-SMJOdDP6LqTkD0Uq8qLi+gMwSt0imXLSV080qFVwJCpH9U6Mb+SUGHAXM0KNbcBPguytWyvFxcHgMLe2D2XSpw==
+  dependencies:
+    fast-deep-equal "^3.1.1"
+    json-schema-traverse "^1.0.0"
+    require-from-string "^2.0.2"
+    uri-js "^4.2.2"
+
 ajv@^6.10.0, ajv@^6.10.2, ajv@^6.5.5:
   version "6.12.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/ajv/-/ajv-6.12.0.tgz#06d60b96d87b8454a5adaba86e7854da629db4b7"
@@ -1308,13 +1318,18 @@ diff@^4.0.1:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/diff/-/diff-4.0.2.tgz#60f3aecb89d5fae520c11aa19efc2bb982aade7d"
   integrity sha512-58lmxKSA4BNyLz+HHMUzlOEpg09FV+ev6ZMe3vJihgdxzgcwZ8VoEEPmALCZG9LmqfVoNMMKpttIYTVG6uDY7A==
 
-dockest@^1.0.3:
-  version "1.0.4"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/dockest/-/dockest-1.0.4.tgz#0da0fb44aeba1d9923aa72a6f43fe6aea1174296"
-  integrity sha512-fHAU1z9CkMDHeoJo0oxg0sK1BYc3tANmGKAm7tPY/OpVV3DUVCSDwnpqtq7H3/I7tKvII5xF44hE1iSC+qNvnA==
+dockest@^2.1.0:
+  version "2.1.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/dockest/-/dockest-2.1.0.tgz#efbeaca7bb6078b9bb0a431a050cdefc5b50f07e"
+  integrity sha512-cEudMXrP9Sl1obedYDEyXoKSePGsmbT8750W2D1/W19szr+EbSlEpaRp3tIl5q8oeZ6UxFnfZjXzD+4nDrVhZw==
   dependencies:
-    execa "^2.0.4"
+    chalk "^3.0.0"
+    execa "^4.0.0"
+    fp-ts "^2.8.3"
+    io-ts "^2.2.10"
+    is-docker "^2.0.0"
     js-yaml "^3.13.1"
+    rxjs "^6.5.4"
 
 doctrine@^3.0.0:
   version "3.0.0"
@@ -1568,6 +1583,21 @@ execa@^3.2.0:
     signal-exit "^3.0.2"
     strip-final-newline "^2.0.0"
 
+execa@^4.0.0:
+  version "4.1.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/execa/-/execa-4.1.0.tgz#4e5491ad1572f2f17a77d388c6c857135b22847a"
+  integrity sha512-j5W0//W7f8UxAn8hXVnwG8tLwdiUy4FJLcSupCg6maBYZDpyBvTApK7KyuI4bKj8KOh1r2YH+6ucuYtJv1bTZA==
+  dependencies:
+    cross-spawn "^7.0.0"
+    get-stream "^5.0.0"
+    human-signals "^1.1.1"
+    is-stream "^2.0.0"
+    merge-stream "^2.0.0"
+    npm-run-path "^4.0.0"
+    onetime "^5.1.0"
+    signal-exit "^3.0.2"
+    strip-final-newline "^2.0.0"
+
 exit@^0.1.2:
   version "0.1.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/exit/-/exit-0.1.2.tgz#0632638f8d877cc82107d30a0fff1a17cba1cd0c"
@@ -1750,6 +1780,11 @@ form-data@~2.3.2:
     combined-stream "^1.0.6"
     mime-types "^2.1.12"
 
+fp-ts@^2.8.3:
+  version "2.11.5"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/fp-ts/-/fp-ts-2.11.5.tgz#97cceb26655b1452d7088d6fb0864f84cceffbe4"
+  integrity sha512-OqlwJq1BdpB83BZXTqI+dNcA6uYk6qk4u9Cgnt64Y+XS7dwdbp/mobx8S2KXf2AXH+scNmA/UVK3SEFHR3vHZA==
+
 fragment-cache@^0.2.1:
   version "0.2.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/fragment-cache/-/fragment-cache-0.2.1.tgz#4290fad27f13e89be7f33799c6bc5a0abfff0d19"
@@ -2008,6 +2043,11 @@ inquirer@^7.0.0:
     strip-ansi "^6.0.0"
     through "^2.3.6"
 
+io-ts@^2.2.10:
+  version "2.2.16"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/io-ts/-/io-ts-2.2.16.tgz#597dffa03db1913fc318c9c6df6931cb4ed808b2"
+  integrity sha512-y5TTSa6VP6le0hhmIyN0dqEXkrZeJLeC5KApJq6VLci3UEKF80lZ+KuoUs02RhBxNWlrqSNxzfI7otLX1Euv8Q==
+
 ip-regex@^2.1.0:
   version "2.1.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/ip-regex/-/ip-regex-2.1.0.tgz#fa78bf5d2e6913c911ce9f819ee5146bb6d844e9"
@@ -2071,6 +2111,11 @@ is-descriptor@^1.0.0, is-descriptor@^1.0.2:
     is-data-descriptor "^1.0.0"
     kind-of "^6.0.2"
 
+is-docker@^2.0.0:
+  version "2.2.1"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/is-docker/-/is-docker-2.2.1.tgz#33eeabe23cfe86f14bde4408a02c0cfb853acdaa"
+  integrity sha512-F+i2BKsFrH66iaUFc0woD8sLy8getkwTwtOBjvs56Cx4CgJDeKQeqfz8wAYiSb8JOprWhHH5p77PbmYCvvUuXQ==
+
 is-extendable@^0.1.0, is-extendable@^0.1.1:
   version "0.1.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/is-extendable/-/is-extendable-0.1.1.tgz#62b110e289a471418e3ec36a617d472e301dfc89"
@@ -3406,6 +3451,13 @@ rxjs@^6.5.3:
   dependencies:
     tslib "^1.9.0"
 
+rxjs@^6.5.4:
+  version "6.6.7"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/rxjs/-/rxjs-6.6.7.tgz#90ac018acabf491bf65044235d5863c4dab804c9"
+  integrity sha512-hTdwr+7yYNIT5n4AMYp85KA6yw2Va0FLa3Rguvbpa4W3I5xynaBZo41cM3XM+4Q6fRMj3sBYIR1VAmZMXYJvRQ==
+  dependencies:
+    tslib "^1.9.0"
+
 safe-buffer@^5.0.1, safe-buffer@^5.1.2:
   version "5.2.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/safe-buffer/-/safe-buffer-5.2.0.tgz#b74daec49b1148f88c64b68d49b1e815c1f2f519"