diff --git a/benchmarks/bench-inc.js b/benchmarks/bench-inc.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..84a5ed5f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmarks/bench-inc.js
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+'use strict'
+
+const Benchmark = require('benchmark')
+const invalidVersions = require('../test/fixtures/invalid-versions')
+const inc = require('../functions/inc')
+const validVersions = require('../test/fixtures/valid-versions')
+const suite = new Benchmark.Suite()
+
+const cases = validVersions.map(invalid => invalid[0])
+const invalidCases = invalidVersions.map(invalid => invalid[0])
+
+for (const test of cases) {
+  suite.add(`inc(${test})`, function () {
+    inc(test, 'release')
+  })
+}
+
+for (const test of invalidCases) {
+  suite.add(`invalid inc(${test})`, function () {
+    inc(test, 'release')
+  })
+}
+
+suite
+  .on('cycle', function (event) {
+    console.log(String(event.target))
+  })
+  .run({ async: false })
diff --git a/benchmarks/bench-parse.js b/benchmarks/bench-parse.js
index af10ec52..8f37fb28 100644
--- a/benchmarks/bench-parse.js
+++ b/benchmarks/bench-parse.js
@@ -2,11 +2,12 @@
 
 const Benchmark = require('benchmark')
 const parse = require('../functions/parse')
-const { MAX_SAFE_INTEGER } = require('../internal/constants')
+const validVersions = require('../test/fixtures/valid-versions')
+const invalidVersions = require('../test/fixtures/invalid-versions')
 const suite = new Benchmark.Suite()
 
-const cases = ['1.2.1', '1.2.2-4', '1.2.3-pre']
-const invalidCases = [`${MAX_SAFE_INTEGER}0.0.0`, 'hello, world', 'xyz']
+const cases = validVersions.map(invalid => invalid[0])
+const invalidCases = invalidVersions.map(invalid => invalid[0])
 
 for (const test of cases) {
   suite.add(`parse(${test})`, function () {
diff --git a/benchmarks/bench-valid.js b/benchmarks/bench-valid.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..72fd6f36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmarks/bench-valid.js
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+'use strict'
+
+const Benchmark = require('benchmark')
+const invalidVersions = require('../test/fixtures/invalid-versions')
+const valid = require('../functions/valid')
+const validVersions = require('../test/fixtures/valid-versions')
+const suite = new Benchmark.Suite()
+
+const cases = validVersions.map(invalid => invalid[0])
+const invalidCases = invalidVersions.map(invalid => invalid[0])
+
+for (const test of cases) {
+  suite.add(`valid(${test})`, function () {
+    valid(test)
+  })
+}
+
+for (const test of invalidCases) {
+  suite.add(`invalid valid(${test})`, function () {
+    valid(test)
+  })
+}
+
+suite
+  .on('cycle', function (event) {
+    console.log(String(event.target))
+  })
+  .run({ async: false })
diff --git a/classes/semver.js b/classes/semver.js
index 2efba0f4..98a46f3b 100644
--- a/classes/semver.js
+++ b/classes/semver.js
@@ -6,6 +6,15 @@ const { safeRe: re, t } = require('../internal/re')
 
 const parseOptions = require('../internal/parse-options')
 const { compareIdentifiers } = require('../internal/identifiers')
+
+function handleErrorOnSemver (semver, errorMessage, noThrow) {
+  if (!noThrow) {
+    throw new TypeError(errorMessage)
+  } else {
+    semver.errorMessage = errorMessage
+  }
+}
+
 class SemVer {
   constructor (version, options) {
     options = parseOptions(options)
@@ -18,13 +27,11 @@ class SemVer {
         version = version.version
       }
     } else if (typeof version !== 'string') {
-      throw new TypeError(`Invalid version. Must be a string. Got type "${typeof version}".`)
+      return handleErrorOnSemver(this, `Invalid version. Must be a string. Got type "${typeof version}".`, options.noThrow)
     }
 
     if (version.length > MAX_LENGTH) {
-      throw new TypeError(
-        `version is longer than ${MAX_LENGTH} characters`
-      )
+      return handleErrorOnSemver(this, `version is longer than ${MAX_LENGTH} characters`, options.noThrow)
     }
 
     debug('SemVer', version, options)
@@ -37,7 +44,7 @@ class SemVer {
     const m = version.trim().match(options.loose ? re[t.LOOSE] : re[t.FULL])
 
     if (!m) {
-      throw new TypeError(`Invalid Version: ${version}`)
+      return handleErrorOnSemver(this, `Invalid Version: ${version}`, options.noThrow)
     }
 
     this.raw = version
@@ -48,15 +55,15 @@ class SemVer {
     this.patch = +m[3]
 
     if (this.major > MAX_SAFE_INTEGER || this.major < 0) {
-      throw new TypeError('Invalid major version')
+      return handleErrorOnSemver(this, 'Invalid major version', options.noThrow)
     }
 
     if (this.minor > MAX_SAFE_INTEGER || this.minor < 0) {
-      throw new TypeError('Invalid minor version')
+      return handleErrorOnSemver(this, 'Invalid minor version', options.noThrow)
     }
 
     if (this.patch > MAX_SAFE_INTEGER || this.patch < 0) {
-      throw new TypeError('Invalid patch version')
+      return handleErrorOnSemver(this, 'Invalid patch version', options.noThrow)
     }
 
     // numberify any prerelease numeric ids
diff --git a/functions/inc.js b/functions/inc.js
index ff999e9d..30e3dcf8 100644
--- a/functions/inc.js
+++ b/functions/inc.js
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 'use strict'
 
 const SemVer = require('../classes/semver')
+const parseOptions = require('../internal/parse-options')
+const parse = require('./parse')
 
 const inc = (version, release, options, identifier, identifierBase) => {
   if (typeof (options) === 'string') {
@@ -9,11 +11,21 @@ const inc = (version, release, options, identifier, identifierBase) => {
     options = undefined
   }
 
+  const parsedOptions = parseOptions(options)
+  const parsed = parse(
+    version instanceof SemVer ? version.version : version,
+    parsedOptions.noThrow ? parsedOptions : {
+      ...parsedOptions,
+      noThrow: true,
+    }
+  )
+
+  if (parsed === null) {
+    return null
+  }
+
   try {
-    return new SemVer(
-      version instanceof SemVer ? version.version : version,
-      options
-    ).inc(release, identifier, identifierBase).version
+    return parsed.inc(release, identifier, identifierBase).version
   } catch (er) {
     return null
   }
diff --git a/functions/parse.js b/functions/parse.js
index d544d33a..4c2f7f41 100644
--- a/functions/parse.js
+++ b/functions/parse.js
@@ -1,18 +1,26 @@
 'use strict'
 
 const SemVer = require('../classes/semver')
+const parseOptions = require('../internal/parse-options')
 const parse = (version, options, throwErrors = false) => {
   if (version instanceof SemVer) {
     return version
   }
-  try {
-    return new SemVer(version, options)
-  } catch (er) {
+
+  const parsedOptions = parseOptions(options)
+  const parsed = new SemVer(version, parsedOptions.noThrow ? parsedOptions : {
+    ...parsedOptions,
+    noThrow: true,
+  })
+
+  if (parsed.errorMessage) {
     if (!throwErrors) {
       return null
     }
-    throw er
+    throw new TypeError(parsed.errorMessage)
   }
+
+  return parsed
 }
 
 module.exports = parse
diff --git a/test/classes/semver.js b/test/classes/semver.js
index 61119745..f420ef89 100644
--- a/test/classes/semver.js
+++ b/test/classes/semver.js
@@ -97,6 +97,19 @@ test('invalid version numbers', (t) => {
   t.end()
 })
 
+test('invalid version numbers without throw', (t) => {
+  ['1.2.3.4', 'NOT VALID', 1.2, null, 'Infinity.NaN.Infinity'].forEach((v) => {
+    const parsed = new SemVer(v, undefined, false)
+
+    t.strictSame(parsed.errorMessage, typeof v === 'string'
+      ? `Invalid Version: ${v}`
+      : `Invalid version. Must be a string. Got type "${typeof v}".`
+    )
+  })
+
+  t.end()
+})
+
 test('incrementing', t => {
   t.plan(increments.length)
   increments.forEach(([
diff --git a/test/functions/inc.js b/test/functions/inc.js
index 8c5f9ead..5e898b85 100644
--- a/test/functions/inc.js
+++ b/test/functions/inc.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ const increments = require('../fixtures/increments.js')
 test('increment versions test', (t) => {
   increments.forEach(([pre, what, wanted, options, id, base]) => {
     const found = inc(pre, what, options, id, base)
-    const cmd = `inc(${pre}, ${what}, ${id}, ${base})`
+    const cmd = `inc(${pre}, ${what}, ${options}, ${id}, ${base})`
     t.equal(found, wanted, `${cmd} === ${wanted}`)
 
     const parsed = parse(pre, options)
@@ -45,3 +45,16 @@ test('increment versions test', (t) => {
 
   t.end()
 })
+
+test('special increment version test', (t) => {
+  [
+    ['1.2.3', 'prepatch', '1.2.4-foo.1', 'foo', '1', undefined],
+    ['1.2.3', 'prepatch', '1.2.4-foo.1', {}, 'foo', '1'],
+  ].forEach(([pre, what, wanted, options, id, base]) => {
+    const found = inc(pre, what, options, id, base)
+    const cmd = `inc(${pre}, ${what}, ${options}, ${id}, ${base})`
+    t.equal(found, wanted, `${cmd} === ${wanted}`)
+  })
+
+  t.end()
+})