diff --git a/internal/admission/validation/gateway/httproute.go b/internal/admission/validation/gateway/httproute.go
index d91e115e799..fa81a1a6591 100644
--- a/internal/admission/validation/gateway/httproute.go
+++ b/internal/admission/validation/gateway/httproute.go
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ func ValidateHTTPRoute(
 ) (bool, string, error) {
 	// validate that no unsupported features are in use
 	if err := validateHTTPRouteFeatures(httproute, parserFeatures); err != nil {
-		return false, "HTTPRoute spec did not pass validation", err
+		return false, fmt.Sprintf("HTTPRoute spec did not pass validation: %s", err), nil
 	}
 
 	// perform Gateway validations for the HTTPRoute (e.g. listener validation, namespace validation, e.t.c.)
@@ -45,24 +45,25 @@ func ValidateHTTPRoute(
 		// determine the parentRef for this gateway
 		parentRef, err := getParentRefForHTTPRouteGateway(httproute, gateway)
 		if err != nil {
-			return false, "Couldn't determine parentRefs for httproute", err
+			return false, fmt.Sprintf("Couldn't determine parentRefs for httproute: %s", err), nil
 		}
 
 		// gather the relevant gateway listeners for the httproute
 		listeners, err := getListenersForHTTPRouteValidation(parentRef.SectionName, gateway)
 		if err != nil {
-			return false, "Couldn't find gateway listeners for httproute", err
+			return false, fmt.Sprintf("Couldn't find gateway listeners for httproute: %s", err), nil
 		}
 
 		// perform validation of this route against it's linked gateway listeners
 		for _, listener := range listeners {
 			if err := validateHTTPRouteListener(listener); err != nil {
-				return false, "HTTPRoute linked Gateway listeners did not pass validation", err
+				return false, fmt.Sprintf("HTTPRoute linked Gateway listeners did not pass validation: %s", err), nil
 			}
 		}
 	}
 
-	return validateWithKongGateway(ctx, routesValidator, parserFeatures, httproute)
+	ok, msg := validateWithKongGateway(ctx, routesValidator, parserFeatures, httproute)
+	return ok, msg, nil
 }
 
 // -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -188,7 +189,7 @@ func getListenersForHTTPRouteValidation(sectionName *gatewayapi.SectionName, gat
 
 func validateWithKongGateway(
 	ctx context.Context, routesValidator routeValidator, parserFeatures parser.FeatureFlags, httproute *gatewayapi.HTTPRoute,
-) (bool, string, error) {
+) (bool, string) {
 	// Translate HTTPRoute to Kong Route object(s) that can be sent directly to the Admin API for validation.
 	// Use KIC parser that works both for traditional and expressions based routes.
 	var kongRoutes []kong.Route
@@ -211,23 +212,23 @@ func validateWithKongGateway(
 		}
 	}
 	if len(errMsgs) > 0 {
-		return false, validationMsg(errMsgs), nil
+		return false, validationMsg(errMsgs)
 	}
 	// Validate by using feature of Kong Gateway.
 	for _, kg := range kongRoutes {
 		kg := kg
 		ok, msg, err := routesValidator.Validate(ctx, &kg)
 		if err != nil {
-			return false, fmt.Sprintf("Unable to validate HTTPRoute schema: %s", err.Error()), nil
+			return false, fmt.Sprintf("Unable to validate HTTPRoute schema: %s", err.Error())
 		}
 		if !ok {
 			errMsgs = append(errMsgs, msg)
 		}
 	}
 	if len(errMsgs) > 0 {
-		return false, validationMsg(errMsgs), nil
+		return false, validationMsg(errMsgs)
 	}
-	return true, "", nil
+	return true, ""
 }
 
 func validationMsg(errMsgs []string) string {
diff --git a/internal/admission/validation/gateway/httproute_test.go b/internal/admission/validation/gateway/httproute_test.go
index 6d5cc12ec62..a0e1b37d459 100644
--- a/internal/admission/validation/gateway/httproute_test.go
+++ b/internal/admission/validation/gateway/httproute_test.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package gateway
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"fmt"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/kong/go-kong/kong"
@@ -59,8 +58,7 @@ func TestValidateHTTPRoute(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			}},
 			valid:         false,
-			validationMsg: "Couldn't determine parentRefs for httproute",
-			err:           fmt.Errorf("no parentRef matched gateway default/testing-gateway"),
+			validationMsg: "Couldn't determine parentRefs for httproute: no parentRef matched gateway default/testing-gateway",
 		},
 		{
 			msg: "if you use sectionname to attach to a non-existent gateway listener, it fails validation",
@@ -98,8 +96,7 @@ func TestValidateHTTPRoute(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			}},
 			valid:         false,
-			validationMsg: "Couldn't find gateway listeners for httproute",
-			err:           fmt.Errorf("sectionname referenced listener listener-that-doesnt-exist was not found on gateway default/testing-gateway"),
+			validationMsg: "Couldn't find gateway listeners for httproute: sectionname referenced listener listener-that-doesnt-exist was not found on gateway default/testing-gateway",
 		},
 		{
 			msg: "if the provided gateway has NO listeners, the HTTPRoute fails validation",
@@ -126,8 +123,7 @@ func TestValidateHTTPRoute(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			}},
 			valid:         false,
-			validationMsg: "Couldn't find gateway listeners for httproute",
-			err:           fmt.Errorf("no listeners could be found for gateway default/testing-gateway"),
+			validationMsg: "Couldn't find gateway listeners for httproute: no listeners could be found for gateway default/testing-gateway",
 		},
 		{
 			msg: "parentRefs which omit the namespace pass validation in the same namespace",
@@ -200,8 +196,7 @@ func TestValidateHTTPRoute(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			}},
 			valid:         false,
-			validationMsg: "HTTPRoute linked Gateway listeners did not pass validation",
-			err:           fmt.Errorf("HTTPRoute not supported by listener http-alternate"),
+			validationMsg: "HTTPRoute linked Gateway listeners did not pass validation: HTTPRoute not supported by listener http-alternate",
 		},
 		{
 			msg: "if an HTTPRoute is using queryparams matching it fails validation due to only supporting expression router",
@@ -253,8 +248,7 @@ func TestValidateHTTPRoute(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			}},
 			valid:         false,
-			validationMsg: "HTTPRoute spec did not pass validation",
-			err:           fmt.Errorf("queryparam matching is supported with expression router only"),
+			validationMsg: "HTTPRoute spec did not pass validation: queryparam matching is supported with expression router only",
 		},
 		{
 			msg: "we don't support any group except core kubernetes for backendRefs",
@@ -311,8 +305,7 @@ func TestValidateHTTPRoute(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			}},
 			valid:         false,
-			validationMsg: "HTTPRoute spec did not pass validation",
-			err:           fmt.Errorf("example is not a supported group for httproute backendRefs, only core is supported"),
+			validationMsg: "HTTPRoute spec did not pass validation: example is not a supported group for httproute backendRefs, only core is supported",
 		},
 		{
 			msg: "we don't support any core kind except Service for backendRefs",
@@ -368,17 +361,18 @@ func TestValidateHTTPRoute(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			}},
 			valid:         false,
-			validationMsg: "HTTPRoute spec did not pass validation",
-			err:           fmt.Errorf("Pod is not a supported kind for httproute backendRefs, only Service is supported"),
+			validationMsg: "HTTPRoute spec did not pass validation: Pod is not a supported kind for httproute backendRefs, only Service is supported",
 		},
 	} {
-		// Passed routesValidator is irrelevant for the above test cases.
-		valid, validMsg, err := ValidateHTTPRoute(
-			context.Background(), mockRoutesValidator{}, parser.FeatureFlags{}, tt.route, tt.gateways...,
-		)
-		assert.Equal(t, tt.valid, valid, tt.msg)
-		assert.Equal(t, tt.validationMsg, validMsg, tt.msg)
-		assert.Equal(t, tt.err, err, tt.msg)
+		t.Run(tt.msg, func(t *testing.T) {
+			// Passed routesValidator is irrelevant for the above test cases.
+			valid, validMsg, err := ValidateHTTPRoute(
+				context.Background(), mockRoutesValidator{}, parser.FeatureFlags{}, tt.route, tt.gateways...,
+			)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.valid, valid, tt.msg)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.validationMsg, validMsg, tt.msg)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.err, err, tt.msg)
+		})
 	}
 }