diff --git a/rasa/core/lock_store.py b/rasa/core/lock_store.py
index e8baff134a2e..dcc01b302b33 100644
--- a/rasa/core/lock_store.py
+++ b/rasa/core/lock_store.py
@@ -243,6 +243,15 @@ def __init__(
             ssl_ca_certs=ssl_ca_certs,
             socket_timeout=socket_timeout,
         )
+        
+        # test connection
+        try:
+            self.red.ping()
+        except redis.exceptions.ConnectionError as e:
+            raise Exception(
+                "Could not connect to Redis. Please make sure Redis is running and "
+                f"configured correctly. Error: {e}"
+            )
 
         self.key_prefix = DEFAULT_REDIS_LOCK_STORE_KEY_PREFIX
         if key_prefix: