diff --git a/base/array.jl b/base/array.jl
index d7abb2a757454..762cf2cbc5bc5 100644
--- a/base/array.jl
+++ b/base/array.jl
@@ -1062,10 +1062,11 @@ function _growbeg!(a::Vector, delta::Integer)
         setfield!(a, :ref, @inbounds memoryref(ref, 1 - delta))
     else
         @noinline (function()
+        @_terminates_locally_meta
         memlen = length(mem)
         # since we will allocate the array in the middle of the memory we need at least 2*delta extra space
         # the +1 is because I didn't want to have an off by 1 error.
-        newmemlen = max(overallocation(memlen), len + 2 * delta + 1)
+        newmemlen = max(overallocation(len), len + 2 * delta + 1)
         newoffset = div(newmemlen - newlen, 2) + 1
         # If there is extra data after the end of the array we can use that space so long as there is enough
         # space at the end that there won't be quadratic behavior with a mix of growth from both ends.
@@ -1074,10 +1075,14 @@ function _growbeg!(a::Vector, delta::Integer)
         if newoffset + newlen < memlen
             newoffset = div(memlen - newlen, 2) + 1
             newmem = mem
+            unsafe_copyto!(newmem, newoffset + delta, mem, offset, len)
+            for j in offset:newoffset+delta-1
+                @inbounds _unsetindex!(mem, j)
+            end
         else
             newmem = array_new_memory(mem, newmemlen)
+            unsafe_copyto!(newmem, newoffset + delta, mem, offset, len)
         end
-        unsafe_copyto!(newmem, newoffset + delta, mem, offset, len)
         setfield!(a, :ref, @inbounds memoryref(newmem, newoffset))
         end)()
     end
diff --git a/test/arrayops.jl b/test/arrayops.jl
index d86faf6f96004..5dfc9a74887ec 100644
--- a/test/arrayops.jl
+++ b/test/arrayops.jl
@@ -467,6 +467,11 @@ end
         @test vc == [v[1:(i-1)]; 5; v[i:end]]
     end
     @test_throws BoundsError insert!(v, 5, 5)
+
+    # test that data is copied when there is plenty of room to do so
+    v = empty!(collect(1:100))
+    pushfirst!(v, 1)
+    @test length(v.ref.mem) == 100
 end
 
 @testset "popat!(::Vector, i, [default])" begin