diff --git a/bind_test.go b/bind_test.go
index e33298b39..14061077f 100644
--- a/bind_test.go
+++ b/bind_test.go
@@ -834,7 +834,7 @@ func TestDefaultBinder_BindToStructFromMixedSources(t *testing.T) {
 			givenURL:     "/api/real_node/endpoint?node=xxx",
 			givenContent: strings.NewReader(`{`),
 			expect:       &Opts{ID: 0, Node: "node_from_path"}, // query binding has already modified bind target
-			expectError:  "code=400, message=Bad Request, err=unexpected EOF",
+			expectError:  "code=400, message=Bad Request, err=unexpected end of JSON input",
 		},
 		{
 			name:         "nok, GET with body bind failure when types are not convertible",
@@ -1004,7 +1004,7 @@ func TestDefaultBinder_BindBody(t *testing.T) {
 			givenContentType: MIMEApplicationJSON,
 			givenContent:     strings.NewReader(`{`),
 			expect:           &Node{ID: 0, Node: ""},
-			expectError:      "code=400, message=Bad Request, err=unexpected EOF",
+			expectError:      "code=400, message=Bad Request, err=unexpected end of JSON input",
 		},
 		{
 			name:             "ok, XML POST bind to struct with: path + query + empty body",
diff --git a/json.go b/json.go
index a969ccb8c..d5fc9294c 100644
--- a/json.go
+++ b/json.go
@@ -4,12 +4,25 @@
 package echo
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"sync"
 )
 
 // DefaultJSONSerializer implements JSON encoding using encoding/json.
 type DefaultJSONSerializer struct{}
 
+// jsonBufPool reuses buffers for reading request bodies during JSON
+// deserialization, avoiding the per-request decoder and its internal read
+// buffer that json.NewDecoder allocates.
+var jsonBufPool = sync.Pool{New: newJSONBuf}
+
+func newJSONBuf() any { return new(bytes.Buffer) }
+
+// maxPooledJSONBuf caps the capacity of buffers returned to jsonBufPool so a
+// single large request body cannot pin an oversized buffer in the pool.
+const maxPooledJSONBuf = 1 << 16 // 64 KiB
+
 // Serialize converts an interface into a json and writes it to the response.
 // You can optionally use the indent parameter to produce pretty JSONs.
 func (d DefaultJSONSerializer) Serialize(c *Context, target any, indent string) error {
@@ -21,8 +34,29 @@ func (d DefaultJSONSerializer) Serialize(c *Context, target any, indent string)
 }
 
 // Deserialize reads a JSON from a request body and converts it into an interface.
+//
+// The body is read into a pooled buffer and decoded with json.Unmarshal rather
+// than streaming through json.NewDecoder. This avoids allocating a decoder and
+// its internal read buffer on every request. json.Unmarshal does not retain a
+// reference to the input slice, so the buffer is safe to reuse afterwards.
+//
+// Note: the full request body is read into memory before decoding. As with any
+// JSON parser, decoding untrusted input can allocate large amounts of memory;
+// guard such endpoints with middleware.BodyLimit (or http.MaxBytesReader),
+// which makes the body read here fail fast once the limit is exceeded.
 func (d DefaultJSONSerializer) Deserialize(c *Context, target any) error {
-	if err := json.NewDecoder(c.Request().Body).Decode(target); err != nil {
+	buf := jsonBufPool.Get().(*bytes.Buffer)
+	buf.Reset()
+	defer func() {
+		// Do not return oversized buffers to the pool — they would pin memory.
+		if buf.Cap() <= maxPooledJSONBuf {
+			jsonBufPool.Put(buf)
+		}
+	}()
+	if _, err := buf.ReadFrom(c.Request().Body); err != nil {
+		return ErrBadRequest.Wrap(err)
+	}
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(buf.Bytes(), target); err != nil {
 		return ErrBadRequest.Wrap(err)
 	}
 	return nil
diff --git a/json_test.go b/json_test.go
index 1804b3e82..c369e41da 100644
--- a/json_test.go
+++ b/json_test.go
@@ -4,13 +4,26 @@
 package echo
 
 import (
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/httptest"
 	"strings"
+	"sync"
 	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
 
+// deserializeJSON decodes body into target via the default serializer using a
+// fresh context. It does not touch *testing.T so it is safe to call from
+// goroutines (used by the concurrency test).
+func deserializeJSON(e *Echo, body string, target any) error {
+	req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, "/", strings.NewReader(body))
+	c := e.NewContext(req, httptest.NewRecorder())
+	return DefaultJSONSerializer{}.Deserialize(c, target)
+}
+
 // Note this test is deliberately simple as there's not a lot to test.
 // Just need to ensure it writes JSONs. The heavy work is done by the context methods.
 func TestDefaultJSONCodec_Encode(t *testing.T) {
@@ -98,3 +111,106 @@ func TestDefaultJSONCodec_Decode(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.EqualError(t, err, "code=400, message=Bad Request, err=json: cannot unmarshal number into Go struct field .id of type string")
 
 }
+
+// TestDefaultJSONCodec_Decode_RejectsTrailingData documents an intentional
+// behavior change: Deserialize uses json.Unmarshal, which (unlike a streaming
+// json.Decoder) rejects any content after the first top-level JSON value.
+func TestDefaultJSONCodec_Decode_RejectsTrailingData(t *testing.T) {
+	e := New()
+	for _, body := range []string{
+		userJSON + `{"id":2,"name":"second"}`, // a second JSON object
+		userJSON + ` trailing garbage`,        // trailing non-JSON
+		userJSON + `,`,                        // trailing token
+	} {
+		var u user
+		err := deserializeJSON(e, body, &u)
+		if assert.Error(t, err, "body %q should be rejected", body) {
+			assert.IsType(t, &HTTPError{}, err)
+			assert.Equal(t, http.StatusBadRequest, err.(*HTTPError).Code)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// TestDefaultJSONCodec_Decode_PooledBufferReuse guards against stale bytes
+// bleeding between requests through the reused pooled buffer: a long body
+// followed by a short one must each decode to exactly their own input.
+func TestDefaultJSONCodec_Decode_PooledBufferReuse(t *testing.T) {
+	e := New()
+	for i := 0; i < 50; i++ {
+		longName := strings.Repeat("x", 1000+i)
+		var long user
+		err := deserializeJSON(e, fmt.Sprintf(`{"id":%d,"name":%q}`, i, longName), &long)
+		assert.NoError(t, err)
+		assert.Equal(t, user{ID: i, Name: longName}, long)
+
+		var short user
+		err = deserializeJSON(e, `{"id":7,"name":"a"}`, &short)
+		assert.NoError(t, err)
+		assert.Equal(t, user{ID: 7, Name: "a"}, short)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestDefaultJSONCodec_Decode_PooledBufferConcurrent exercises the pooled
+// buffer from many goroutines at once; run under -race it catches any aliasing
+// or missing-reset regression that would let one request's body corrupt another.
+func TestDefaultJSONCodec_Decode_PooledBufferConcurrent(t *testing.T) {
+	e := New()
+	const n = 64
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	errs := make([]error, n)
+	got := make([]user, n)
+	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func(i int) {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			body := fmt.Sprintf(`{"id":%d,"name":%q}`, i, strings.Repeat("n", i+1))
+			errs[i] = deserializeJSON(e, body, &got[i])
+		}(i)
+	}
+	wg.Wait()
+	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+		assert.NoError(t, errs[i])
+		assert.Equal(t, user{ID: i, Name: strings.Repeat("n", i+1)}, got[i])
+	}
+}
+
+// TestDefaultJSONCodec_Decode_LargeBodyThenNormal covers the buffer-cap path: a
+// body larger than maxPooledJSONBuf must decode correctly, and its oversized
+// buffer (dropped from the pool rather than retained) must not affect the next
+// normal-sized request.
+func TestDefaultJSONCodec_Decode_LargeBodyThenNormal(t *testing.T) {
+	e := New()
+	bigName := strings.Repeat("z", 100*1024) // 100 KiB > 64 KiB cap
+	var big user
+	err := deserializeJSON(e, fmt.Sprintf(`{"id":1,"name":%q}`, bigName), &big)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, user{ID: 1, Name: bigName}, big)
+
+	var small user
+	err = deserializeJSON(e, userJSON, &small)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, user{ID: 1, Name: "Jon Snow"}, small)
+}
+
+// errReader is an io.ReadCloser whose Read always fails, used to exercise the
+// body-read error branch of Deserialize.
+type errReader struct{}
+
+func (errReader) Read([]byte) (int, error) { return 0, errors.New("read failed") }
+func (errReader) Close() error             { return nil }
+
+// TestDefaultJSONCodec_Decode_BodyReadError verifies a failing request body read
+// surfaces as a 400, matching the pre-existing decoder behavior.
+func TestDefaultJSONCodec_Decode_BodyReadError(t *testing.T) {
+	e := New()
+	req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, "/", http.NoBody)
+	req.Body = errReader{}
+	c := e.NewContext(req, httptest.NewRecorder())
+
+	var u user
+	err := DefaultJSONSerializer{}.Deserialize(c, &u)
+	if assert.Error(t, err) {
+		assert.IsType(t, &HTTPError{}, err)
+		assert.Equal(t, http.StatusBadRequest, err.(*HTTPError).Code)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/perf_bench_test.go b/perf_bench_test.go
index b6ff0f640..8d6fecafd 100644
--- a/perf_bench_test.go
+++ b/perf_bench_test.go
@@ -111,6 +111,14 @@ type bindTarget struct {
 	Active bool   `json:"active" query:"active"`
 }
 
+// nopReadCloser adapts a Reader to a ReadCloser without allocating, so the
+// request body can be reset and reused across benchmark iterations instead of
+// rebuilding the request (and its httptest machinery) inside the loop.
+type nopReadCloser struct{ r *strings.Reader }
+
+func (n nopReadCloser) Read(p []byte) (int, error) { return n.r.Read(p) }
+func (nopReadCloser) Close() error                 { return nil }
+
 func BenchmarkBind_JSON(b *testing.B) {
 	e := New()
 	body := `{"id":1,"name":"Jon Snow","email":"jon@winterfell.north","age":24,"active":true}`
@@ -118,17 +126,64 @@ func BenchmarkBind_JSON(b *testing.B) {
 		var t bindTarget
 		return c.Bind(&t)
 	})
+	// Build the request once and reset its body each iteration so the benchmark
+	// measures Echo's routing+binding cost, not httptest.NewRequest allocations.
+	r := strings.NewReader(body)
+	req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, "/", r)
+	req.Header.Set(HeaderContentType, MIMEApplicationJSON)
+	req.Body = nopReadCloser{r}
+	w := &nopResponseWriter{}
 	b.ReportAllocs()
 	b.ResetTimer()
-	w := &nopResponseWriter{}
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
 		w.h = nil
-		req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, "/", strings.NewReader(body))
-		req.Header.Set(HeaderContentType, MIMEApplicationJSON)
+		r.Reset(body)
 		e.ServeHTTP(w, req)
 	}
 }
 
+// BenchmarkJSONSerialize/Deserialize exercise the DefaultJSONSerializer directly,
+// isolating JSON encode/decode cost from routing and request construction.
+func BenchmarkJSONDeserialize(b *testing.B) {
+	e := New()
+	body := `{"id":1,"name":"Jon Snow","email":"jon@winterfell.north","age":24,"active":true}`
+	r := strings.NewReader(body)
+	req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, "/", r)
+	req.Body = nopReadCloser{r}
+	c := e.NewContext(req, &nopResponseWriter{})
+	s := DefaultJSONSerializer{}
+	b.ReportAllocs()
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		r.Reset(body)
+		var t bindTarget
+		if err := s.Deserialize(c, &t); err != nil {
+			b.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func BenchmarkJSONSerialize(b *testing.B) {
+	e := New()
+	type payload struct {
+		ID   int    `json:"id"`
+		Name string `json:"name"`
+		Tags []string
+	}
+	p := payload{ID: 1, Name: "Jon Snow", Tags: []string{"a", "b", "c"}}
+	w := &nopResponseWriter{}
+	c := e.NewContext(httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "/", nil), w)
+	s := DefaultJSONSerializer{}
+	b.ReportAllocs()
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		w.h = nil
+		if err := s.Serialize(c, p, ""); err != nil {
+			b.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func BenchmarkBind_Query(b *testing.B) {
 	e := New()
 	e.GET("/", func(c *Context) error {