diff --git a/auth/client/iam/client.go b/auth/client/iam/client.go
index 3b8e8c17b..348adaf35 100644
--- a/auth/client/iam/client.go
+++ b/auth/client/iam/client.go
@@ -24,16 +24,17 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"github.com/lestrrat-go/jwx/v2/jws"
-	"github.com/lestrrat-go/jwx/v2/jwt"
-	"github.com/nuts-foundation/nuts-node/crypto"
-	"github.com/nuts-foundation/nuts-node/vdr/resolver"
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/url"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/lestrrat-go/jwx/v2/jws"
+	"github.com/lestrrat-go/jwx/v2/jwt"
+	"github.com/nuts-foundation/nuts-node/crypto"
+	"github.com/nuts-foundation/nuts-node/vdr/resolver"
+
 	"github.com/nuts-foundation/go-did/vc"
 	"github.com/nuts-foundation/nuts-node/auth/log"
 	"github.com/nuts-foundation/nuts-node/auth/oauth"
@@ -190,19 +191,17 @@ func (hb HTTPClient) AccessToken(ctx context.Context, tokenEndpoint string, data
 		return token, fmt.Errorf("failed to call endpoint: %w", err)
 	}
 	if err = core.TestResponseCode(http.StatusOK, response); err != nil {
-		// check for oauth error
-		if innerErr := core.TestResponseCode(http.StatusBadRequest, response); innerErr != nil {
-			// a non oauth error, the response body could contain a lot of stuff. We'll log and return the entire error
-			log.Logger().Debugf("authorization server token endpoint returned non oauth error (statusCode=%d)", response.StatusCode)
-			return token, err
+		httpErr, ok := errors.AsType[core.HttpError](err)
+		if ok && strings.Contains(response.Header.Get("Content-Type"), "application/json") {
+			// If the response is JSON and looks like an OAuth error, return it as such (regardless of status code).
+			oauthError := oauth.OAuth2Error{}
+			if jsonErr := json.Unmarshal(httpErr.ResponseBody, &oauthError); jsonErr == nil && oauthError.Code != "" {
+				return token, oauth.RemoteOAuthError{Cause: oauthError}
+			}
 		}
-		httpErr := err.(core.HttpError)
-		oauthError := oauth.OAuth2Error{}
-		if err := json.Unmarshal(httpErr.ResponseBody, &oauthError); err != nil {
-			return token, fmt.Errorf("unable to unmarshal OAuth error response: %w", err)
-		}
-
-		return token, oauth.RemoteOAuthError{Cause: oauthError}
+		// Not an OAuth error, the response body could contain a lot of stuff. We'll log and return the entire error
+		log.Logger().Debugf("authorization server token endpoint returned non oauth error (statusCode=%d)", response.StatusCode)
+		return token, err
 	}
 
 	var responseData []byte
diff --git a/auth/client/iam/client_test.go b/auth/client/iam/client_test.go
index c51a6cb3c..560715c82 100644
--- a/auth/client/iam/client_test.go
+++ b/auth/client/iam/client_test.go
@@ -188,6 +188,44 @@ func TestHTTPClient_AccessToken(t *testing.T) {
 		require.True(t, ok)
 		assert.Equal(t, "offline", string(httpError.ResponseBody))
 	})
+	t.Run("error - oauth error with non-400 status", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// Some authorization servers return non-400 status codes for OAuth errors (e.g. 401, 500).
+		// The client should still recognize a JSON body with an "error" field as an OAuth error.
+		handler := http2.Handler{StatusCode: http.StatusInternalServerError, ResponseData: oauth.OAuth2Error{Code: oauth.InvalidRequest}}
+		tlsServer, client := testServerAndClient(t, &handler)
+
+		_, err := client.AccessToken(ctx, tlsServer.URL, data, dpopHeader)
+
+		require.Error(t, err)
+		var oauthError oauth.OAuth2Error
+		require.ErrorAs(t, err, &oauthError)
+		assert.Equal(t, oauth.InvalidRequest, oauthError.Code)
+		require.ErrorAs(t, err, new(oauth.RemoteOAuthError))
+	})
+	t.Run("error - non-JSON response with non-OK status", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// Not JSON, so must not be treated as an OAuth error.
+		handler := http2.Handler{StatusCode: http.StatusBadRequest, ResponseData: "not json"}
+		tlsServer, client := testServerAndClient(t, &handler)
+
+		_, err := client.AccessToken(ctx, tlsServer.URL, data, dpopHeader)
+
+		require.Error(t, err)
+		httpError, ok := err.(core.HttpError)
+		require.True(t, ok)
+		assert.Equal(t, "not json", string(httpError.ResponseBody))
+	})
+	t.Run("error - JSON response without OAuth error code", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// JSON, but without an "error" field — must not be treated as an OAuth error.
+		handler := http2.Handler{StatusCode: http.StatusBadRequest, ResponseData: map[string]string{"message": "something went wrong"}}
+		tlsServer, client := testServerAndClient(t, &handler)
+
+		_, err := client.AccessToken(ctx, tlsServer.URL, data, dpopHeader)
+
+		require.Error(t, err)
+		_, ok := err.(core.HttpError)
+		require.True(t, ok)
+		require.NotErrorAs(t, err, new(oauth.RemoteOAuthError))
+	})
 	t.Run("error - invalid response", func(t *testing.T) {
 		handler := http2.Handler{StatusCode: http.StatusOK, ResponseData: "}"}
 		tlsServer, client := testServerAndClient(t, &handler)
diff --git a/core/http_client.go b/core/http_client.go
index f5acec4ed..d2ec64874 100644
--- a/core/http_client.go
+++ b/core/http_client.go
@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@ var TracingHTTPTransport func(http.RoundTripper) http.RoundTripper
 // If the response body is longer than this, it will be truncated.
 const HttpResponseBodyLogClipAt = 200
 
+// HttpResponseBodyMaxSize is the maximum number of bytes read from an unexpected HTTP response body.
+// It prevents DoS attacks where a malicious server returns a very large response body.
+// Only applied to error responses, so 1 MB is more than enough.
+const HttpResponseBodyMaxSize = 1024 * 1024
+
 // HttpError describes an error returned when invoking a remote server.
 type HttpError struct {
 	error
@@ -54,7 +59,14 @@ func TestResponseCode(expectedStatusCode int, response *http.Response) error {
 // It logs using the given logger, unless nil is passed.
 func TestResponseCodeWithLog(expectedStatusCode int, response *http.Response, log *logrus.Entry) error {
 	if response.StatusCode != expectedStatusCode {
-		responseData, _ := io.ReadAll(response.Body)
+		// Read at most HttpResponseBodyMaxSize bytes to prevent DoS. Read one extra byte to detect truncation.
+		responseData, _ := io.ReadAll(io.LimitReader(response.Body, HttpResponseBodyMaxSize+1))
+		truncated := len(responseData) > HttpResponseBodyMaxSize
+		if truncated {
+			responseData = responseData[:HttpResponseBodyMaxSize]
+			logrus.WithField("http_request_path", response.Request.URL.Path).
+				Warnf("HTTP response body exceeds %d bytes, truncating", HttpResponseBodyMaxSize)
+		}
 		if log != nil {
 			// Cut off the response body to 100 characters max to prevent logging of large responses
 			responseBodyString := string(responseData)
diff --git a/core/http_client_test.go b/core/http_client_test.go
index 1bc9e3183..adb759867 100644
--- a/core/http_client_test.go
+++ b/core/http_client_test.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 package core
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
@@ -144,6 +145,17 @@ func TestTestResponseCodeWithLog(t *testing.T) {
 
 		assert.Equal(t, "Unexpected HTTP response (len=201): "+strings.Repeat("a", HttpResponseBodyLogClipAt)+"...(clipped)", hook.LastEntry().Message)
 	})
+	t.Run("response body exceeding max size is truncated", func(t *testing.T) {
+		data := bytes.Repeat([]byte("a"), HttpResponseBodyMaxSize+1024)
+		status := stdHttp.StatusUnauthorized
+		requestURL, _ := url.Parse("/foo")
+		request := &stdHttp.Request{URL: requestURL}
+
+		err := TestResponseCodeWithLog(stdHttp.StatusOK, &stdHttp.Response{StatusCode: status, Body: io.NopCloser(bytes.NewReader(data)), Request: request}, nil)
+
+		require.ErrorAs(t, err, new(HttpError))
+		assert.Len(t, err.(HttpError).ResponseBody, HttpResponseBodyMaxSize)
+	})
 }
 
 type readCloser []byte