diff --git a/easybuild/easyblocks/i/impi.py b/easybuild/easyblocks/i/impi.py
index ba1d5dafac1..43433ff7c1a 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyblocks/i/impi.py
+++ b/easybuild/easyblocks/i/impi.py
@@ -31,16 +31,19 @@
 @author: Pieter De Baets (Ghent University)
 @author: Jens Timmerman (Ghent University)
 @author: Damian Alvarez (Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH)
+@author: Alex Domingo (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
 """
 import os
 from distutils.version import LooseVersion
 
+import easybuild.tools.toolchain as toolchain
 from easybuild.easyblocks.generic.intelbase import IntelBase, ACTIVATION_NAME_2012, LICENSE_FILE_NAME_2012
 from easybuild.framework.easyconfig import CUSTOM
 from easybuild.tools.build_log import EasyBuildError
 from easybuild.tools.filetools import apply_regex_substitutions, change_dir, extract_file, mkdir, write_file
 from easybuild.tools.run import run_cmd
 from easybuild.tools.systemtools import get_shared_lib_ext
+from easybuild.tools.toolchain.mpi import get_mpi_cmd_template
 
 
 class EB_impi(IntelBase):
@@ -210,7 +213,32 @@ def sanity_check_step(self):
             'dirs': [],
         }
 
-        super(EB_impi, self).sanity_check_step(custom_paths=custom_paths)
+        custom_commands = []
+
+        if LooseVersion(self.version) >= LooseVersion('2017'):
+            # Add minimal test program to sanity checks
+            impi_testsrc = os.path.join(self.installdir, 'test/test.c')
+            impi_testexe = os.path.join(self.builddir, 'mpi_test')
+            self.log.info("Adding minimal MPI test program to sanity checks: %s", impi_testsrc)
+
+            # Build test program with appropriate compiler from current toolchain
+            comp_fam = self.toolchain.comp_family()
+            if comp_fam == toolchain.INTELCOMP:
+                build_comp = 'mpiicc'
+            else:
+                build_comp = 'mpicc'
+            build_cmd = "%s %s -o %s" % (build_comp, impi_testsrc, impi_testexe)
+
+            # Execute test program with appropriate MPI executable for target toolchain
+            params = {'nr_ranks': self.cfg['parallel'], 'cmd': impi_testexe}
+            mpi_cmd_tmpl, params = get_mpi_cmd_template(toolchain.INTELMPI, params, mpi_version=self.version)
+
+            custom_commands.extend([
+                build_cmd,  # build test program
+                mpi_cmd_tmpl % params,  # run test program
+            ])
+
+        super(EB_impi, self).sanity_check_step(custom_paths=custom_paths, custom_commands=custom_commands)
 
     def make_module_req_guess(self):
         """