diff --git a/builder/struct.go b/builder/struct.go
index 319bc76d..c3eb1aee 100644
--- a/builder/struct.go
+++ b/builder/struct.go
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ func (s *Struct) Assign(gen Generator, ctx *MethodContext, assignTo *AssignTo, s
 				return nil, err.Lift(lift...)
 			}
 			if shouldCheckAgainstZero(ctx, nextSource, targetFieldType, assignTo.Update, false) {
-				stmt = append(stmt, jen.If(nextID.Code.Clone().Op("!=").Add(xtype.ZeroValue(nextSource.T))).Block(fieldStmt...))
+				stmt = append(stmt, jen.If(xtype.NotZeroValueCheck(nextID.Code, nextSource.T)).Block(fieldStmt...))
 			} else {
 				stmt = append(stmt, fieldStmt...)
 			}
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ func (s *Struct) Assign(gen Generator, ctx *MethodContext, assignTo *AssignTo, s
 			callStmt = append(callStmt, assignTo.Stmt.Clone().Dot(targetField.Name()).Op("=").Add(callReturnID.Code))
 
 			if shouldCheckAgainstZero(ctx, functionCallSourceType, targetFieldType, assignTo.Update, true) {
-				stmt = append(stmt, jen.If(functionCallSourceID.Code.Clone().Op("!=").Add(xtype.ZeroValue(functionCallSourceType.T))).Block(callStmt...))
+				stmt = append(stmt, jen.If(xtype.NotZeroValueCheck(functionCallSourceID.Code, functionCallSourceType.T)).Block(callStmt...))
 			} else {
 				stmt = append(stmt, callStmt...)
 			}
diff --git a/scenario/update_ignore_zero_value_noncomparable_struct.yml b/scenario/update_ignore_zero_value_noncomparable_struct.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4f2a4f97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scenario/update_ignore_zero_value_noncomparable_struct.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+input:
+    input.go: |
+        package execution
+
+        // Inner is not comparable (it contains a slice), so `inner != Inner{}`
+        // does not compile. goverter must use reflect.ValueOf(...).IsZero() when
+        // skipping zero values for such a field (#227).
+        type Inner struct {
+            Items []string
+        }
+
+        type Source struct {
+            Inner Inner
+        }
+
+        type Target struct {
+            Inner Inner
+        }
+
+        // goverter:converter
+        // goverter:default:update
+        // goverter:update:ignoreZeroValueField
+        type testConverter interface {
+            // goverter:default NewTarget
+            ToTarget(source Source) Target
+        }
+
+        func NewTarget() Target {
+            return Target{}
+        }
+success:
+    - generated/generated.go: |
+        // Code generated by github.com/jmattheis/goverter, DO NOT EDIT.
+
+        package generated
+
+        import (
+        	execution "github.com/jmattheis/goverter/execution"
+        	"reflect"
+        )
+
+        type testConverterImpl struct{}
+
+        func (c *testConverterImpl) ToTarget(source execution.Source) execution.Target {
+        	executionTarget := execution.NewTarget()
+        	if !reflect.ValueOf(source.Inner).IsZero() {
+        		executionTarget.Inner = c.executionInnerToExecutionInner(source.Inner)
+        	}
+        	return executionTarget
+        }
+        func (c *testConverterImpl) executionInnerToExecutionInner(source execution.Inner) execution.Inner {
+        	var executionInner execution.Inner
+        	if source.Items != nil {
+        		executionInner.Items = make([]string, len(source.Items))
+        		for i := 0; i < len(source.Items); i++ {
+        			executionInner.Items[i] = source.Items[i]
+        		}
+        	}
+        	return executionInner
+        }
diff --git a/xtype/zero.go b/xtype/zero.go
index d8016bf0..3a08de35 100644
--- a/xtype/zero.go
+++ b/xtype/zero.go
@@ -6,6 +6,35 @@ import (
 	"github.com/dave/jennifer/jen"
 )
 
+// NotZeroValueCheck returns an expression that is true when sourceCode does not
+// hold the zero value of type t.
+//
+// For most types this is `sourceCode != <zero>` (where <zero> is `nil` for
+// pointers, slices, maps, channels, functions and interfaces). Some struct and
+// array types are not comparable because they contain a slice, map or function,
+// and Go rejects `!=` on them, producing uncompilable generated code (see
+// #227). For those, fall back to `!reflect.ValueOf(sourceCode).IsZero()`, which
+// works for any type.
+func NotZeroValueCheck(sourceCode *jen.Statement, t types.Type) *jen.Statement {
+	if zeroValueIsNil(t) || types.Comparable(t) {
+		return sourceCode.Clone().Op("!=").Add(ZeroValue(t))
+	}
+	return jen.Op("!").Add(
+		jen.Qual("reflect", "ValueOf").Call(sourceCode.Clone()).Dot("IsZero").Call(),
+	)
+}
+
+// zeroValueIsNil reports whether the zero value of t is nil, i.e. t can be
+// compared against nil regardless of whether it is otherwise comparable
+// (slices and maps are not comparable but their zero value is nil).
+func zeroValueIsNil(t types.Type) bool {
+	switch t.Underlying().(type) {
+	case *types.Pointer, *types.Slice, *types.Map, *types.Chan, *types.Signature, *types.Interface:
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 func ZeroValue(t types.Type) *jen.Statement {
 	switch cast := t.(type) {
 	case *types.Basic: