@Test public void shouldReturnFormattedDateWhenDataValue() throws Exception { WebDataBinder dataBinder = new WebDataBinder(null); SimpleDateFormat dateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss"); String dateString = "2015-10-01 12:00:00"; Date value = dateFormat.parse(dateString); controller.initBinder(dataBinder); CustomDateEditor editor = (CustomDateEditor) dataBinder.findCustomEditor(Date.class, null); editor.setValue(value); String parsedDate = editor.getAsText(); assertThat(dateString, is(parsedDate)); }