diff --git a/datafusion/datasource-csv/src/file_format.rs b/datafusion/datasource-csv/src/file_format.rs
index a8c27369cb9c1..1f7da7e8499e7 100644
--- a/datafusion/datasource-csv/src/file_format.rs
+++ b/datafusion/datasource-csv/src/file_format.rs
@@ -30,8 +30,8 @@ use arrow::error::ArrowError;
 use datafusion_common::config::{ConfigField, ConfigFileType, CsvOptions};
 use datafusion_common::file_options::csv_writer::CsvWriterOptions;
 use datafusion_common::{
-    DEFAULT_CSV_EXTENSION, DataFusionError, GetExt, Result, Statistics, exec_err,
-    not_impl_err,
+    DEFAULT_CSV_EXTENSION, DataFusionError, GetExt, Result, Statistics,
+    exec_datafusion_err, exec_err, not_impl_err,
 };
 use datafusion_common_runtime::SpawnedTask;
 use datafusion_datasource::TableSchema;
@@ -540,6 +540,21 @@ impl CsvFormat {
         let mut record_number = -1;
         let initial_records_to_read = records_to_read;
 
+        // Compile once rather than per chunk, and report a malformed pattern
+        // instead of panicking on it.
+        let null_regex = self
+            .options
+            .null_regex
+            .as_ref()
+            .map(|null_regex| {
+                Regex::new(null_regex).map_err(|e| {
+                    exec_datafusion_err!(
+                        "Unable to parse CSV null regex '{null_regex}': {e}"
+                    )
+                })
+            })
+            .transpose()?;
+
         pin_mut!(stream);
 
         while let Some(chunk) = stream.next().await.transpose()? {
@@ -557,10 +572,8 @@ impl CsvFormat {
                 .with_quote(self.options.quote)
                 .with_truncated_rows(self.options.truncated_rows.unwrap_or(false));
 
-            if let Some(null_regex) = &self.options.null_regex {
-                let regex = Regex::new(null_regex.as_str())
-                    .expect("Unable to parse CSV null regex.");
-                format = format.with_null_regex(regex);
+            if let Some(regex) = &null_regex {
+                format = format.with_null_regex(regex.clone());
             }
 
             if let Some(escape) = self.options.escape {
diff --git a/datafusion/sqllogictest/test_files/csv_files.slt b/datafusion/sqllogictest/test_files/csv_files.slt
index b5b6130940c40..3562383c8bd52 100644
--- a/datafusion/sqllogictest/test_files/csv_files.slt
+++ b/datafusion/sqllogictest/test_files/csv_files.slt
@@ -22,6 +22,14 @@ STORED AS CSV
 LOCATION '../core/tests/data/duplicate_header.csv'
 OPTIONS ('format.has_header' 'true');
 
+# A malformed null_regex is reported as an error rather than panicking the
+# query. Schema inference compiles the pattern, so CREATE is where it surfaces.
+statement error Unable to parse CSV null regex
+CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE csv_with_invalid_null_regex
+STORED AS CSV
+LOCATION '../core/tests/data/quote.csv'
+OPTIONS ('format.has_header' 'true', 'format.null_regex' '(');
+
 # create_external_table_with_quote_escape
 statement ok
 CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE csv_with_quote (