--- a/hgsubversion/svnwrap/svn_swig_wrapper.py
+++ b/hgsubversion/svnwrap/svn_swig_wrapper.py
@@ -14,22 +14,29 @@ warnings.filterwarnings('ignore',
                         module='svn.core',
                         category=DeprecationWarning)
 
-from svn import client
-from svn import core
-from svn import delta
-from svn import ra
-
 from mercurial import util as hgutil
 
+required_bindings = (1, 5, 0)
+
+try:
+    from svn import client
+    from svn import core
+    from svn import delta
+    from svn import ra
+
+    current_bindings = (core.SVN_VER_MAJOR, core.SVN_VER_MINOR,
+                        core.SVN_VER_MICRO)
+except ImportError:
+    raise ImportError('Subversion %d.%d.%d or later required, '
+                      'but no bindings were found' % required_bindings)
+
+if current_bindings < required_bindings: #pragma: no cover
+    raise ImportError('Subversion %d.%d.%d or later required, '
+                      'but bindings for %d.%d.%d found' %
+                      (required_bindings + current_bindings))
+
 def version():
-    return '%d.%d.%d' % (core.SVN_VER_MAJOR, core.SVN_VER_MINOR,
-                         core.SVN_VER_MICRO)
-
-if (core.SVN_VER_MAJOR, core.SVN_VER_MINOR,
-    core.SVN_VER_MICRO) < (1, 5, 0): #pragma: no cover
-    raise ImportError, ('You must have Subversion 1.5.0 or newer and '
-                        'matching SWIG bindings. You appear to'
-                        ' have %s' % version())
+    return '%d.%d.%d' % current_bindings
 
 class SubversionRepoCanNotReplay(Exception):
     """Exception raised when the svn server is too old to have replay.