diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/dates.py b/lib/matplotlib/dates.py
index 8046cf7a3731..e1e10d519380 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/dates.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/dates.py
@@ -96,8 +96,11 @@
       <../gallery/ticks_and_spines/date_demo_rrule.html>`_.
 
     * :class:`AutoDateLocator`: On autoscale, this class picks the best
-      :class:`MultipleDateLocator` to set the view limits and the tick
-      locations.
+      :class:`RRuleLocator` to set the view limits and the tick
+      locations.  If called with ``interval_multiples=True`` it will
+      make ticks line up with sensible multiples of the tick intervals.  E.g.
+      if the interval is 4 hours, it will pick hours 0, 4, 8, etc as ticks.
+      This behaviour is not garaunteed by default.
 
 Date formatters
 ---------------
@@ -1189,15 +1192,15 @@ def get_locator(self, dmin, dmax):
             else:
                 byranges[i] = self._byranges[i]
 
-            # We found what frequency to use
             break
         else:
             raise ValueError('No sensible date limit could be found in the '
                              'AutoDateLocator.')
 
-        if use_rrule_locator[i]:
+        if (freq == YEARLY) and self.interval_multiples:
+            locator = YearLocator(interval)
+        elif use_rrule_locator[i]:
             _, bymonth, bymonthday, byhour, byminute, bysecond, _ = byranges
-
             rrule = rrulewrapper(self._freq, interval=interval,
                                  dtstart=dmin, until=dmax,
                                  bymonth=bymonth, bymonthday=bymonthday,
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_dates.py b/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_dates.py
index f53fdb7dd1b3..7de1180a2d25 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_dates.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_dates.py
@@ -380,6 +380,79 @@ def _create_auto_date_locator(date1, date2):
         assert list(map(str, mdates.num2date(locator()))) == expected
 
 
+def test_auto_date_locator_intmult():
+    def _create_auto_date_locator(date1, date2):
+        locator = mdates.AutoDateLocator(interval_multiples=True)
+        locator.create_dummy_axis()
+        locator.set_view_interval(mdates.date2num(date1),
+                                  mdates.date2num(date2))
+        return locator
+
+    d1 = datetime.datetime(1997, 1, 1)
+    results = ([datetime.timedelta(weeks=52 * 200),
+                ['1980-01-01 00:00:00+00:00', '2000-01-01 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '2020-01-01 00:00:00+00:00', '2040-01-01 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '2060-01-01 00:00:00+00:00', '2080-01-01 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '2100-01-01 00:00:00+00:00', '2120-01-01 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '2140-01-01 00:00:00+00:00', '2160-01-01 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '2180-01-01 00:00:00+00:00', '2200-01-01 00:00:00+00:00']
+                ],
+               [datetime.timedelta(weeks=52),
+                ['1997-01-01 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-02-01 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-03-01 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-04-01 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-05-01 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-06-01 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-07-01 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-08-01 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-09-01 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-10-01 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-11-01 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-12-01 00:00:00+00:00']
+                ],
+               [datetime.timedelta(days=141),
+                ['1997-01-01 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-01-22 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-02-01 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-02-22 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-03-01 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-03-22 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-04-01 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-04-22 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-05-01 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-05-22 00:00:00+00:00']
+                ],
+               [datetime.timedelta(days=40),
+                ['1997-01-01 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-01-08 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-15 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-01-22 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-29 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-02-01 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-02-08 00:00:00+00:00']
+                ],
+               [datetime.timedelta(hours=40),
+                ['1997-01-01 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-01-01 04:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-01 08:00:00+00:00', '1997-01-01 12:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-01 16:00:00+00:00', '1997-01-01 20:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-02 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-01-02 04:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-02 08:00:00+00:00', '1997-01-02 12:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-02 16:00:00+00:00']
+                ],
+               [datetime.timedelta(minutes=20),
+                ['1997-01-01 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-01-01 00:05:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-01 00:10:00+00:00', '1997-01-01 00:15:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-01 00:20:00+00:00']
+                ],
+               [datetime.timedelta(seconds=40),
+                ['1997-01-01 00:00:00+00:00', '1997-01-01 00:00:05+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-01 00:00:10+00:00', '1997-01-01 00:00:15+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-01 00:00:20+00:00', '1997-01-01 00:00:25+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-01 00:00:30+00:00', '1997-01-01 00:00:35+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-01 00:00:40+00:00']
+                ],
+               [datetime.timedelta(microseconds=1500),
+                ['1996-12-31 23:59:59.999507+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-01 00:00:00+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-01 00:00:00.000502+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-01 00:00:00.001005+00:00',
+                 '1997-01-01 00:00:00.001508+00:00']
+                ],
+               )
+
+    for t_delta, expected in results:
+        d2 = d1 + t_delta
+        locator = _create_auto_date_locator(d1, d2)
+        assert list(map(str, mdates.num2date(locator()))) == expected
+
+
 @image_comparison(baseline_images=['date_inverted_limit'],
                   extensions=['png'])
 def test_date_inverted_limit():