diff --git a/lib/checknullpointer.cpp b/lib/checknullpointer.cpp
index 7dcf4abe2..ce60a3f4c 100644
--- a/lib/checknullpointer.cpp
+++ b/lib/checknullpointer.cpp
@@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ void CheckNullPointer::nullConstantDereference()
                 ovar = tok->variable();
             else if (Token::Match(tok, "%var% =|+ 0 )|]|,|;|+"))
                 ovar = tok->variable();
-            if (ovar && !ovar->isPointer() && !ovar->isArray() && ovar->isStlStringType() && !tok->tokAt(2)->isLiteral())
+            if (ovar && !ovar->isPointer() && !ovar->isArray() && ovar->isStlStringType() && tok->tokAt(2)->originalName() != "'\\0'")
                 nullPointerError(tok);
         }
     }
diff --git a/test/testnullpointer.cpp b/test/testnullpointer.cpp
index 9c145a4c0..d25f8cc91 100644
--- a/test/testnullpointer.cpp
+++ b/test/testnullpointer.cpp
@@ -2026,6 +2026,8 @@ private:
               "}", true);
         ASSERT_EQUALS("[test.cpp:9]: (error) Possible null pointer dereference: p\n"
                       "[test.cpp:10]: (error) Possible null pointer dereference: p\n"
+                      "[test.cpp:3]: (error) Null pointer dereference\n"
+                      "[test.cpp:5]: (error) Null pointer dereference\n"
                       "[test.cpp:7]: (error) Null pointer dereference\n"
                       "[test.cpp:8]: (error) Null pointer dereference\n"
                       /* TODO: handle std::string