diff --git a/Doc/library/ssl.rst b/Doc/library/ssl.rst
index d5328c3..a0dffe0 100644
--- a/Doc/library/ssl.rst
+++ b/Doc/library/ssl.rst
@@ -910,10 +910,10 @@
 
 .. method:: SSLSocket.selected_npn_protocol()
 
-   Returns the protocol that was selected during the TLS/SSL handshake. If
-   :meth:`SSLContext.set_npn_protocols` was not called, or if the other party
-   does not support NPN, or if the handshake has not yet happened, this will
-   return ``None``.
+   Returns the higher-level protocol that was selected during the TLS/SSL
+   handshake. If :meth:`SSLContext.set_npn_protocols` was not called, or
+   if the other party does not support NPN, or if the handshake has not yet
+   happened, this will return ``None``.
 
    .. versionadded:: 3.3
 
@@ -925,6 +925,16 @@
    returned socket should always be used for further communication with the
    other side of the connection, rather than the original socket.
 
+.. method:: SSLSocket.version()
+
+   Return the actual SSL protocol version negotiated by the connection
+   as a string, or ``None`` is no secure connection is established.
+   As of this writing, possible return values include ``"SSLv2"``,
+   ``"SSLv3"``, ``"TLSv1"``, ``"TLSv1.1"`` and ``"TLSv1.2"``.
+   Recent OpenSSL versions may define more return values.
+
+   .. versionadded:: 3.5
+
 .. attribute:: SSLSocket.context
 
    The :class:`SSLContext` object this SSL socket is tied to.  If the SSL
diff --git a/Lib/ssl.py b/Lib/ssl.py
index efea02a..f0ecbc7 100644
--- a/Lib/ssl.py
+++ b/Lib/ssl.py
@@ -861,6 +861,15 @@
             return None
         return self._sslobj.tls_unique_cb()
 
+    def version(self):
+        """
+        Return a string identifying the protocol version used by the
+        current SSL channel, or None if there is no established channel.
+        """
+        if self._sslobj is None:
+            return None
+        return self._sslobj.version()
+
 
 def wrap_socket(sock, keyfile=None, certfile=None,
                 server_side=False, cert_reqs=CERT_NONE,
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_ssl.py b/Lib/test/test_ssl.py
index 01aa82a..f216bd2 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_ssl.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_ssl.py
@@ -1942,7 +1942,8 @@
                     'compression': s.compression(),
                     'cipher': s.cipher(),
                     'peercert': s.getpeercert(),
-                    'client_npn_protocol': s.selected_npn_protocol()
+                    'client_npn_protocol': s.selected_npn_protocol(),
+                    'version': s.version(),
                 })
                 s.close()
             stats['server_npn_protocols'] = server.selected_protocols
@@ -1950,6 +1951,13 @@
 
     def try_protocol_combo(server_protocol, client_protocol, expect_success,
                            certsreqs=None, server_options=0, client_options=0):
+        """
+        Try to SSL-connect using *client_protocol* to *server_protocol*.
+        If *expect_success* is true, assert that the connection succeeds,
+        if it's false, assert that the connection fails.
+        Also, if *expect_success* is a string, assert that it is the protocol
+        version actually used by the connection.
+        """
         if certsreqs is None:
             certsreqs = ssl.CERT_NONE
         certtype = {
@@ -1979,8 +1987,8 @@
             ctx.load_cert_chain(CERTFILE)
             ctx.load_verify_locations(CERTFILE)
         try:
-            server_params_test(client_context, server_context,
-                               chatty=False, connectionchatty=False)
+            stats = server_params_test(client_context, server_context,
+                                       chatty=False, connectionchatty=False)
         # Protocol mismatch can result in either an SSLError, or a
         # "Connection reset by peer" error.
         except ssl.SSLError:
@@ -1995,6 +2003,10 @@
                     "Client protocol %s succeeded with server protocol %s!"
                     % (ssl.get_protocol_name(client_protocol),
                        ssl.get_protocol_name(server_protocol)))
+            elif (expect_success is not True
+                  and expect_success != stats['version']):
+                raise AssertionError("version mismatch: expected %r, got %r"
+                                     % (expect_success, stats['version']))
 
 
     class ThreadedTests(unittest.TestCase):
@@ -2225,17 +2237,17 @@
                         sys.stdout.write(
                             " SSL2 client to SSL23 server test unexpectedly failed:\n %s\n"
                             % str(x))
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, True)
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, 'SSLv3')
             try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, True)
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, True)
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, 'TLSv1')
 
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, True, ssl.CERT_OPTIONAL)
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, 'SSLv3', ssl.CERT_OPTIONAL)
             try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, True, ssl.CERT_OPTIONAL)
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, True, ssl.CERT_OPTIONAL)
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, 'TLSv1', ssl.CERT_OPTIONAL)
 
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, True, ssl.CERT_REQUIRED)
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, 'SSLv3', ssl.CERT_REQUIRED)
             try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, True, ssl.CERT_REQUIRED)
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, True, ssl.CERT_REQUIRED)
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, 'TLSv1', ssl.CERT_REQUIRED)
 
             # Server with specific SSL options
             try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, False,
@@ -2252,9 +2264,9 @@
             """Connecting to an SSLv3 server with various client options"""
             if support.verbose:
                 sys.stdout.write("\n")
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, True)
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, True, ssl.CERT_OPTIONAL)
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, True, ssl.CERT_REQUIRED)
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, 'SSLv3')
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, 'SSLv3', ssl.CERT_OPTIONAL)
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, 'SSLv3', ssl.CERT_REQUIRED)
             if hasattr(ssl, 'PROTOCOL_SSLv2'):
                 try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv2, False)
             try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, False,
@@ -2262,7 +2274,7 @@
             try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, False)
             if no_sslv2_implies_sslv3_hello():
                 # No SSLv2 => client will use an SSLv3 hello on recent OpenSSLs
-                try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, True,
+                try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, 'SSLv3',
                                    client_options=ssl.OP_NO_SSLv2)
 
         @skip_if_broken_ubuntu_ssl
@@ -2270,9 +2282,9 @@
             """Connecting to a TLSv1 server with various client options"""
             if support.verbose:
                 sys.stdout.write("\n")
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, True)
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, True, ssl.CERT_OPTIONAL)
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, True, ssl.CERT_REQUIRED)
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, 'TLSv1')
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, 'TLSv1', ssl.CERT_OPTIONAL)
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, 'TLSv1', ssl.CERT_REQUIRED)
             if hasattr(ssl, 'PROTOCOL_SSLv2'):
                 try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv2, False)
             try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, False)
@@ -2287,14 +2299,14 @@
                Testing against older TLS versions."""
             if support.verbose:
                 sys.stdout.write("\n")
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_1, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_1, True)
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_1, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_1, 'TLSv1.1')
             if hasattr(ssl, 'PROTOCOL_SSLv2'):
                 try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_1, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv2, False)
             try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_1, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv3, False)
             try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_1, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, False,
                                client_options=ssl.OP_NO_TLSv1_1)
 
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_1, True)
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_1, 'TLSv1.1')
             try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_1, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, False)
             try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_1, False)
 
@@ -2307,7 +2319,7 @@
                Testing against older TLS versions."""
             if support.verbose:
                 sys.stdout.write("\n")
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_2, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_2, True,
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_2, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_2, 'TLSv1.2',
                                server_options=ssl.OP_NO_SSLv3|ssl.OP_NO_SSLv2,
                                client_options=ssl.OP_NO_SSLv3|ssl.OP_NO_SSLv2,)
             if hasattr(ssl, 'PROTOCOL_SSLv2'):
@@ -2316,7 +2328,7 @@
             try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_2, ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, False,
                                client_options=ssl.OP_NO_TLSv1_2)
 
-            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_2, True)
+            try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_SSLv23, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_2, 'TLSv1.2')
             try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_2, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, False)
             try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_2, False)
             try_protocol_combo(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_2, ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1_1, False)
@@ -2697,6 +2709,21 @@
                         s.connect((HOST, server.port))
             self.assertIn("no shared cipher", str(server.conn_errors[0]))
 
+        def test_version_basic(self):
+            """
+            Basic tests for SSLSocket.version().
+            More tests are done in the test_protocol_*() methods.
+            """
+            context = ssl.SSLContext(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1)
+            with ThreadedEchoServer(CERTFILE,
+                                    ssl_version=ssl.PROTOCOL_TLSv1,
+                                    chatty=False) as server:
+                with context.wrap_socket(socket.socket()) as s:
+                    self.assertIs(s.version(), None)
+                    s.connect((HOST, server.port))
+                    self.assertEqual(s.version(), "TLSv1")
+                self.assertIs(s.version(), None)
+
         @unittest.skipUnless(ssl.HAS_ECDH, "test requires ECDH-enabled OpenSSL")
         def test_default_ecdh_curve(self):
             # Issue #21015: elliptic curve-based Diffie Hellman key exchange
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index 6cd2a73..2201708 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -129,6 +129,9 @@
 Library
 -------
 
+- Issue #20421: Add a .version() method to SSL sockets exposing the actual
+  protocol version in use.
+
 - Issue #19546: configparser exceptions no longer expose implementation details.
   Chained KeyErrors are removed, which leads to cleaner tracebacks.  Patch by
   Claudiu Popa.
diff --git a/Modules/_ssl.c b/Modules/_ssl.c
index d42c3ce..5b85cc7 100644
--- a/Modules/_ssl.c
+++ b/Modules/_ssl.c
@@ -1402,6 +1402,18 @@
     return NULL;
 }
 
+static PyObject *PySSL_version(PySSLSocket *self)
+{
+    const char *version;
+
+    if (self->ssl == NULL)
+        Py_RETURN_NONE;
+    version = SSL_get_version(self->ssl);
+    if (!strcmp(version, "unknown"))
+        Py_RETURN_NONE;
+    return PyUnicode_FromString(version);
+}
+
 #ifdef OPENSSL_NPN_NEGOTIATED
 static PyObject *PySSL_selected_npn_protocol(PySSLSocket *self) {
     const unsigned char *out;
@@ -1939,6 +1951,7 @@
     {"peer_certificate", (PyCFunction)PySSL_peercert, METH_VARARGS,
      PySSL_peercert_doc},
     {"cipher", (PyCFunction)PySSL_cipher, METH_NOARGS},
+    {"version", (PyCFunction)PySSL_version, METH_NOARGS},
 #ifdef OPENSSL_NPN_NEGOTIATED
     {"selected_npn_protocol", (PyCFunction)PySSL_selected_npn_protocol, METH_NOARGS},
 #endif