diff --git a/release-notes/VERSION-2.x b/release-notes/VERSION-2.x
index faecc79a15..a1ed9824aa 100644
--- a/release-notes/VERSION-2.x
+++ b/release-notes/VERSION-2.x
@@ -42,6 +42,9 @@ Project: jackson-databind
  (reported by Bartosz B)
 #2592: `ObjectMapper.setSerializationInclusion()` is ignored for `JsonAnyGetter`
  (reported by Oleksii K)
+#2608: `ValueInstantiationException` when deserializing using a builder and
+  `UNWRAP_SINGLE_VALUE_ARRAYS`
+ (reported by cadrake@github)
 #2627: JsonIgnoreProperties(ignoreUnknown = true) does not work on field and method level
  (reported by robotmrv@github)
 #2632: Failure to resolve generic type parameters on serialization
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/BeanDeserializer.java b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/BeanDeserializer.java
index 1480780dbe..f83a8e25d3 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/BeanDeserializer.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/BeanDeserializer.java
@@ -186,8 +186,8 @@ protected final Object _deserializeOther(JsonParser p, DeserializationContext ct
             case VALUE_NULL:
                 return deserializeFromNull(p, ctxt);
             case START_ARRAY:
-                // these only work if there's a (delegating) creator...
-                return deserializeFromArray(p, ctxt);
+                // these only work if there's a (delegating) creator, or UNWRAP_SINGLE_ARRAY
+                return _deserializeFromArray(p, ctxt);
             case FIELD_NAME:
             case END_OBJECT: // added to resolve [JACKSON-319], possible related issues
                 if (_vanillaProcessing) {
@@ -567,6 +567,41 @@ protected Object deserializeFromNull(JsonParser p, DeserializationContext ctxt)
         return ctxt.handleUnexpectedToken(getValueType(ctxt), p);
     }
 
+    @Override
+    protected Object _deserializeFromArray(JsonParser p, DeserializationContext ctxt) throws IOException
+    {
+        // note: cannot call `_delegateDeserializer()` since order reversed here:
+        JsonDeserializer<Object> delegateDeser = _arrayDelegateDeserializer;
+        // fallback to non-array delegate
+        if ((delegateDeser != null) || ((delegateDeser = _delegateDeserializer) != null)) {
+            Object bean = _valueInstantiator.createUsingArrayDelegate(ctxt,
+                    delegateDeser.deserialize(p, ctxt));
+            if (_injectables != null) {
+                injectValues(ctxt, bean);
+            }
+            return bean;
+        }
+        if (ctxt.isEnabled(DeserializationFeature.UNWRAP_SINGLE_VALUE_ARRAYS)) {
+            JsonToken t = p.nextToken();
+            if (t == JsonToken.END_ARRAY && ctxt.isEnabled(DeserializationFeature.ACCEPT_EMPTY_ARRAY_AS_NULL_OBJECT)) {
+                return null;
+            }
+            final Object value = deserialize(p, ctxt);
+            if (p.nextToken() != JsonToken.END_ARRAY) {
+                handleMissingEndArrayForSingle(p, ctxt);
+            }
+            return value;
+        }
+        if (ctxt.isEnabled(DeserializationFeature.ACCEPT_EMPTY_ARRAY_AS_NULL_OBJECT)) {
+            JsonToken t = p.nextToken();
+            if (t == JsonToken.END_ARRAY) {
+                return null;
+            }
+            return ctxt.handleUnexpectedToken(getValueType(ctxt), JsonToken.START_ARRAY, p, null);
+        }
+        return ctxt.handleUnexpectedToken(getValueType(ctxt), p);
+    }
+
     /*
     /**********************************************************
     /* Deserializing when we have to consider an active View
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/BeanDeserializerBase.java b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/BeanDeserializerBase.java
index 963126525a..e2113ac1b2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/BeanDeserializerBase.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/BeanDeserializerBase.java
@@ -1445,38 +1445,15 @@ public Object deserializeFromBoolean(JsonParser p, DeserializationContext ctxt)
         return _valueInstantiator.createFromBoolean(ctxt, value);
     }
 
-    public Object deserializeFromArray(JsonParser p, DeserializationContext ctxt) throws IOException
-    {
-        // note: cannot call `_delegateDeserializer()` since order reversed here:
-        JsonDeserializer<Object> delegateDeser = _arrayDelegateDeserializer;
-        // fallback to non-array delegate
-        if ((delegateDeser != null) || ((delegateDeser = _delegateDeserializer) != null)) {
-            Object bean = _valueInstantiator.createUsingArrayDelegate(ctxt,
-                    delegateDeser.deserialize(p, ctxt));
-            if (_injectables != null) {
-                injectValues(ctxt, bean);
-            }
-            return bean;
-        }
-        if (ctxt.isEnabled(DeserializationFeature.UNWRAP_SINGLE_VALUE_ARRAYS)) {
-            JsonToken t = p.nextToken();
-            if (t == JsonToken.END_ARRAY && ctxt.isEnabled(DeserializationFeature.ACCEPT_EMPTY_ARRAY_AS_NULL_OBJECT)) {
-                return null;
-            }
-            final Object value = deserialize(p, ctxt);
-            if (p.nextToken() != JsonToken.END_ARRAY) {
-                handleMissingEndArrayForSingle(p, ctxt);
-            }
-            return value;
-        }
-        if (ctxt.isEnabled(DeserializationFeature.ACCEPT_EMPTY_ARRAY_AS_NULL_OBJECT)) {
-            JsonToken t = p.nextToken();
-            if (t == JsonToken.END_ARRAY) {
-                return null;
-            }
-            return ctxt.handleUnexpectedToken(getValueType(ctxt), JsonToken.START_ARRAY, p, null);
-        }
-        return ctxt.handleUnexpectedToken(getValueType(ctxt), p);
+    /**
+     * @deprecated Since 2.11 Should not be used: was never meant to be called by
+     *    code other than sub-classes (implementations), and implementations details
+     *    differ
+     */
+    @Deprecated
+    public Object deserializeFromArray(JsonParser p, DeserializationContext ctxt) throws IOException {
+        // should work as subtypes ought to override this method:
+        return _deserializeFromArray(p, ctxt);
     }
 
     public Object deserializeFromEmbedded(JsonParser p, DeserializationContext ctxt)
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/BuilderBasedDeserializer.java b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/BuilderBasedDeserializer.java
index 2aff0aae30..1ed76ce3b2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/BuilderBasedDeserializer.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/BuilderBasedDeserializer.java
@@ -197,8 +197,7 @@ public Object deserialize(JsonParser p, DeserializationContext ctxt)
             if (_vanillaProcessing) {
                 return finishBuild(ctxt, vanillaDeserialize(p, ctxt, t));
             }
-            Object builder = deserializeFromObject(p, ctxt);
-            return finishBuild(ctxt, builder);
+            return finishBuild(ctxt, deserializeFromObject(p, ctxt));
         }
         // and then others, generally requiring use of @JsonCreator
         switch (p.getCurrentTokenId()) {
@@ -214,8 +213,9 @@ public Object deserialize(JsonParser p, DeserializationContext ctxt)
         case JsonTokenId.ID_FALSE:
             return finishBuild(ctxt, deserializeFromBoolean(p, ctxt));
         case JsonTokenId.ID_START_ARRAY:
-            // these only work if there's a (delegating) creator...
-            return finishBuild(ctxt, deserializeFromArray(p, ctxt));
+            // these only work if there's a (delegating) creator, or UNWRAP_SINGLE_ARRAY
+            // [databind#2608]: Do NOT call `finishBuild()` as method implements it
+            return _deserializeFromArray(p, ctxt);
         case JsonTokenId.ID_FIELD_NAME:
         case JsonTokenId.ID_END_OBJECT:
             return finishBuild(ctxt, deserializeFromObject(p, ctxt));
@@ -478,6 +478,41 @@ protected final Object _deserialize(JsonParser p,
         return builder;
     }
 
+    @Override // since 2.11, custom implementation
+    protected Object _deserializeFromArray(JsonParser p, DeserializationContext ctxt) throws IOException
+    {
+        // note: cannot call `_delegateDeserializer()` since order reversed here:
+        JsonDeserializer<Object> delegateDeser = _arrayDelegateDeserializer;
+        // fallback to non-array delegate
+        if ((delegateDeser != null) || ((delegateDeser = _delegateDeserializer) != null)) {
+            Object builder = _valueInstantiator.createUsingArrayDelegate(ctxt,
+                    delegateDeser.deserialize(p, ctxt));
+            if (_injectables != null) {
+                injectValues(ctxt, builder);
+            }
+            return finishBuild(ctxt, builder);
+        }
+        if (ctxt.isEnabled(DeserializationFeature.UNWRAP_SINGLE_VALUE_ARRAYS)) {
+            JsonToken t = p.nextToken();
+            if (t == JsonToken.END_ARRAY && ctxt.isEnabled(DeserializationFeature.ACCEPT_EMPTY_ARRAY_AS_NULL_OBJECT)) {
+                return null;
+            }
+            final Object value = deserialize(p, ctxt);
+            if (p.nextToken() != JsonToken.END_ARRAY) {
+                handleMissingEndArrayForSingle(p, ctxt);
+            }
+            return value;
+        }
+        if (ctxt.isEnabled(DeserializationFeature.ACCEPT_EMPTY_ARRAY_AS_NULL_OBJECT)) {
+            JsonToken t = p.nextToken();
+            if (t == JsonToken.END_ARRAY) {
+                return null;
+            }
+            return ctxt.handleUnexpectedToken(getValueType(ctxt), JsonToken.START_ARRAY, p, null);
+        }
+        return ctxt.handleUnexpectedToken(getValueType(ctxt), p);
+    }
+
     /*
     /**********************************************************
     /* Deserializing when we have to consider an active View
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/failing/BuilderWithUnwrappedSingleArray2608Test.java b/src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/builder/BuilderWithUnwrappedSingleArray2608Test.java
similarity index 90%
rename from src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/failing/BuilderWithUnwrappedSingleArray2608Test.java
rename to src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/builder/BuilderWithUnwrappedSingleArray2608Test.java
index 9f4e1ae16e..55e50629f5 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/failing/BuilderWithUnwrappedSingleArray2608Test.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/builder/BuilderWithUnwrappedSingleArray2608Test.java
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package com.fasterxml.jackson.failing;
+package com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.deser.builder;
 
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.*;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.annotation.JsonDeserialize;
@@ -70,8 +70,8 @@ public void testDeserializationAndFail() throws Exception {
                 .build();
 
 // Regular POJO would work:
-//        final String serialized = "{\"id\": 1, \"value\": {\"subValue\": \"123\"}}";
-        final String serialized = "{\"id\": 1, \"value\": [ {\"subValue\": \"123\"} ]}";
+//        final String serialized = "{\"value\": {\"subValue\": \"123\"}}";
+        final String serialized = "{\"value\": [ {\"subValue\": \"123\"} ]}";
         final ExamplePOJO2608 result = mapper.readValue(serialized, ExamplePOJO2608.class);
         assertNotNull(result);
     }