diff --git a/src/ui/bind_handlers.js b/src/ui/bind_handlers.js
index af3192b5f39..c020e35efec 100644
--- a/src/ui/bind_handlers.js
+++ b/src/ui/bind_handlers.js
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 // @flow
 
-const {MapMouseEvent, MapTouchEvent} = require('../ui/events');
+const {
+    MapMouseEvent,
+    MapTouchEvent,
+    MapWheelEvent
+} = require('../ui/events');
 
 import type Map from './map';
 
@@ -38,6 +42,7 @@ module.exports = function bindHandlers(map: Map, options: {}) {
     el.addEventListener('click', onClick, false);
     el.addEventListener('dblclick', onDblClick, false);
     el.addEventListener('contextmenu', onContextMenu, false);
+    el.addEventListener('wheel', onWheel, false);
 
     function onMouseDown(e: MouseEvent) {
         mouseDown = true;
@@ -158,4 +163,15 @@ module.exports = function bindHandlers(map: Map, options: {}) {
 
         e.preventDefault();
     }
+
+    function onWheel(e: WheelEvent) {
+        const mapEvent = new MapWheelEvent('wheel', map, e);
+        map.fire(mapEvent);
+
+        if (mapEvent.defaultPrevented) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        map.scrollZoom.onWheel(e);
+    }
 };
diff --git a/src/ui/events.js b/src/ui/events.js
index b3b1793117e..82b4127dd95 100644
--- a/src/ui/events.js
+++ b/src/ui/events.js
@@ -166,6 +166,54 @@ class MapTouchEvent extends Event {
     }
 }
 
+
+/**
+ * `MapWheelEvent` is the event type for the `wheel` map event.
+ * @extends {Object}
+ */
+class MapWheelEvent extends Event {
+    /**
+     * The event type.
+     */
+    type: 'wheel';
+
+    /**
+     * The `Map` object that fired the event.
+     */
+    map: Map;
+
+    /**
+     * The DOM event which caused the map event.
+     */
+    originalEvent: WheelEvent;
+
+    /**
+     * Prevents subsequent default processing of the event by the map.
+     *
+     * Calling this method will prevent the the behavior of {@link ScrollZoomHandler}.
+     */
+    preventDefault() {
+        this._defaultPrevented = true;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * `true` if `preventDefault` has been called.
+     */
+    get defaultPrevented(): boolean {
+        return this._defaultPrevented;
+    }
+
+    _defaultPrevented: boolean;
+
+    /**
+     * @private
+     */
+    constructor(type: string, map: Map, originalEvent: WheelEvent) {
+        super(type, { originalEvent });
+        this._defaultPrevented = false;
+    }
+}
+
 /**
  * @typedef {Object} MapBoxZoomEvent
  * @property {MouseEvent} originalEvent
@@ -339,6 +387,16 @@ export type MapEvent =
      */
     | 'contextmenu'
 
+    /**
+     * Fired when a [`wheel`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Events/wheel) event occurs within the map.
+     *
+     * @event wheel
+     * @memberof Map
+     * @instance
+     * @property {MapWheelEvent} data
+     */
+    | 'wheel'
+
     /**
      * Fired when a [`touchstart`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Events/touchstart) event occurs within the map.
      *
@@ -729,5 +787,6 @@ export type MapEvent =
 
 module.exports = {
     MapMouseEvent,
-    MapTouchEvent
+    MapTouchEvent,
+    MapWheelEvent
 };
diff --git a/src/ui/handler/scroll_zoom.js b/src/ui/handler/scroll_zoom.js
index 3d8dc276d88..3143a8caa2f 100644
--- a/src/ui/handler/scroll_zoom.js
+++ b/src/ui/handler/scroll_zoom.js
@@ -23,9 +23,7 @@ const wheelZoomRate = 1 / 450;
 // is used to limit zoom rate in the case of very fast scrolling
 const maxScalePerFrame = 2;
 
-const ua = window.navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase(),
-    firefox = ua.indexOf('firefox') !== -1,
-    safari = ua.indexOf('safari') !== -1 && ua.indexOf('chrom') === -1;
+const firefox = window.navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase().indexOf('firefox') !== -1;
 
 /**
  * The `ScrollZoomHandler` allows the user to zoom the map by scrolling.
@@ -95,8 +93,6 @@ class ScrollZoomHandler {
      */
     enable(options: any) {
         if (this.isEnabled()) return;
-        this._el.addEventListener('wheel', this._onWheel, false);
-        this._el.addEventListener('mousewheel', this._onWheel, false);
         this._enabled = true;
         this._aroundCenter = options && options.around === 'center';
     }
@@ -109,24 +105,21 @@ class ScrollZoomHandler {
      */
     disable() {
         if (!this.isEnabled()) return;
-        this._el.removeEventListener('wheel', this._onWheel);
-        this._el.removeEventListener('mousewheel', this._onWheel);
         this._enabled = false;
     }
 
-    _onWheel(e: any) {
-        let value = 0;
+    onWheel(e: WheelEvent) {
+        if (!this.isEnabled()) return;
 
-        if (e.type === 'wheel') {
-            value = e.deltaY;
-            // Firefox doubles the values on retina screens...
-            // Remove `any` casts when https://github.com/facebook/flow/issues/4879 is fixed.
-            if (firefox && e.deltaMode === (window.WheelEvent: any).DOM_DELTA_PIXEL) value /= browser.devicePixelRatio;
-            if (e.deltaMode === (window.WheelEvent: any).DOM_DELTA_LINE) value *= 40;
+        let value = e.deltaY;
 
-        } else if (e.type === 'mousewheel') {
-            value = -e.wheelDeltaY;
-            if (safari) value = value / 3;
+        // Firefox doubles the values on retina screens...
+        // Remove `any` casts when https://github.com/facebook/flow/issues/4879 is fixed.
+        if (firefox && e.deltaMode === (window.WheelEvent: any).DOM_DELTA_PIXEL) {
+            value /= browser.devicePixelRatio;
+        }
+        if (e.deltaMode === (window.WheelEvent: any).DOM_DELTA_LINE) {
+            value *= 40;
         }
 
         const now = browser.now(),
diff --git a/test/unit/ui/handler/scroll_zoom.test.js b/test/unit/ui/handler/scroll_zoom.test.js
index 45029189ff2..d29872e3d2b 100644
--- a/test/unit/ui/handler/scroll_zoom.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/ui/handler/scroll_zoom.test.js
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ function createMap(options) {
     }, options));
 }
 
-test('ScrollZoomHandler zooms in response to wheel events', (t) => {
+test('ScrollZoomHandler', (t) => {
     const browserNow = t.stub(browser, 'now');
     let now = 1555555555555;
     browserNow.callsFake(() => now);
@@ -115,6 +115,22 @@ test('ScrollZoomHandler zooms in response to wheel events', (t) => {
         t.end();
     });
 
+    test('does not zoom if preventDefault is called on the wheel event', (t) => {
+        const map = createMap();
+
+        map.on('wheel', e => e.preventDefault());
+
+        simulate.wheel(map.getCanvas(), {type: 'wheel', deltaY: -simulate.magicWheelZoomDelta});
+        map._updateCamera();
+
+        now += 400;
+        map._updateCamera();
+
+        t.equal(map.getZoom(), 0);
+
+        map.remove();
+        t.end();
+    });
+
     t.end();
 });
-