diff --git a/framework/CHANGELOG.md b/framework/CHANGELOG.md
index bece4b3ae1..6055f546cf 100644
--- a/framework/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/framework/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ Yii Framework 2 Change Log
 -----------------------
 
 - Bug #7305: Logging of Exception objects resulted in failure of the logger i.e. no logs being written (cebe)
+- Bug #7374: Use proper INSERT syntax with default values when no values are specified (nineinchnick)
 - Bug #7707: client-side `trim` validator now passes the trimmed value to subsequent validators (nkovacs)
 - Bug #8322: `yii\behaviors\TimestampBehavior::touch()` now throws an exception if owner is new record (klimov-paul)
 - Bug #8451: `yii\i18n\Formatter` did not allow negative unix timestamps as input for date formatting (cebe)
diff --git a/framework/db/ActiveRecord.php b/framework/db/ActiveRecord.php
index d40ea47fd8..9f9535979b 100644
--- a/framework/db/ActiveRecord.php
+++ b/framework/db/ActiveRecord.php
@@ -449,11 +449,6 @@ class ActiveRecord extends BaseActiveRecord
             return false;
         }
         $values = $this->getDirtyAttributes($attributes);
-        if (empty($values)) {
-            foreach ($this->getPrimaryKey(true) as $key => $value) {
-                $values[$key] = $value;
-            }
-        }
         if (($primaryKeys = static::getDb()->schema->insert($this->tableName(), $values)) === false) {
             return false;
         }
diff --git a/framework/db/QueryBuilder.php b/framework/db/QueryBuilder.php
index fb6c1f99dc..d5da6326fe 100644
--- a/framework/db/QueryBuilder.php
+++ b/framework/db/QueryBuilder.php
@@ -153,8 +153,8 @@ class QueryBuilder extends \yii\base\Object
         }
 
         return 'INSERT INTO ' . $schema->quoteTableName($table)
-            . ' (' . implode(', ', $names) . ') VALUES ('
-            . implode(', ', $placeholders) . ')';
+            . (!empty($names) ? ' (' . implode(', ', $names) . ')' : '')
+            . (!empty($placeholders) ? ' VALUES (' . implode(', ', $placeholders) . ')' : ' DEFAULT VALUES');
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/framework/db/mysql/QueryBuilder.php b/framework/db/mysql/QueryBuilder.php
index f69c5a4a2b..14f946d7a2 100644
--- a/framework/db/mysql/QueryBuilder.php
+++ b/framework/db/mysql/QueryBuilder.php
@@ -164,4 +164,43 @@ class QueryBuilder extends \yii\db\QueryBuilder
 
         return $sql;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritdoc
+     */
+    public function insert($table, $columns, &$params)
+    {
+        $schema = $this->db->getSchema();
+        if (($tableSchema = $schema->getTableSchema($table)) !== null) {
+            $columnSchemas = $tableSchema->columns;
+        } else {
+            $columnSchemas = [];
+        }
+        $names = [];
+        $placeholders = [];
+        foreach ($columns as $name => $value) {
+            $names[] = $schema->quoteColumnName($name);
+            if ($value instanceof Expression) {
+                $placeholders[] = $value->expression;
+                foreach ($value->params as $n => $v) {
+                    $params[$n] = $v;
+                }
+            } else {
+                $phName = self::PARAM_PREFIX . count($params);
+                $placeholders[] = $phName;
+                $params[$phName] = !is_array($value) && isset($columnSchemas[$name]) ? $columnSchemas[$name]->dbTypecast($value) : $value;
+            }
+        }
+        if (empty($names) && $tableSchema !== null) {
+            $columns = !empty($tableSchema->primaryKey) ? $tableSchema->primaryKey : reset($tableSchema->columns)->name;
+            foreach ($columns as $name) {
+                $names[] = $schema->quoteColumnName($name);
+                $placeholders[] = 'DEFAULT';
+            }
+        }
+
+        return 'INSERT INTO ' . $schema->quoteTableName($table)
+            . (!empty($names) ? ' (' . implode(', ', $names) . ')' : '')
+            . (!empty($placeholders) ? ' VALUES (' . implode(', ', $placeholders) . ')' : ' DEFAULT VALUES');
+    }
 }
diff --git a/framework/db/oci/QueryBuilder.php b/framework/db/oci/QueryBuilder.php
index cddd86fa43..ff1f1afdbd 100644
--- a/framework/db/oci/QueryBuilder.php
+++ b/framework/db/oci/QueryBuilder.php
@@ -161,6 +161,45 @@ EOD;
         return $sql;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @inheritdoc
+     */
+    public function insert($table, $columns, &$params)
+    {
+        $schema = $this->db->getSchema();
+        if (($tableSchema = $schema->getTableSchema($table)) !== null) {
+            $columnSchemas = $tableSchema->columns;
+        } else {
+            $columnSchemas = [];
+        }
+        $names = [];
+        $placeholders = [];
+        foreach ($columns as $name => $value) {
+            $names[] = $schema->quoteColumnName($name);
+            if ($value instanceof Expression) {
+                $placeholders[] = $value->expression;
+                foreach ($value->params as $n => $v) {
+                    $params[$n] = $v;
+                }
+            } else {
+                $phName = self::PARAM_PREFIX . count($params);
+                $placeholders[] = $phName;
+                $params[$phName] = !is_array($value) && isset($columnSchemas[$name]) ? $columnSchemas[$name]->dbTypecast($value) : $value;
+            }
+        }
+        if (empty($names) && $tableSchema !== null) {
+            $columns = !empty($tableSchema->primaryKey) ? $tableSchema->primaryKey : reset($tableSchema->columns)->name;
+            foreach ($columns as $name) {
+                $names[] = $schema->quoteColumnName($name);
+                $placeholders[] = 'DEFAULT';
+            }
+        }
+
+        return 'INSERT INTO ' . $schema->quoteTableName($table)
+            . (!empty($names) ? ' (' . implode(', ', $names) . ')' : '')
+            . (!empty($placeholders) ? ' VALUES (' . implode(', ', $placeholders) . ')' : ' DEFAULT VALUES');
+    }
+
     /**
      * Generates a batch INSERT SQL statement.
      * For example,
diff --git a/tests/data/oci.sql b/tests/data/oci.sql
index dfd14b578e..c3d571fb59 100644
--- a/tests/data/oci.sql
+++ b/tests/data/oci.sql
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ BEGIN EXECUTE IMMEDIATE 'DROP SEQUENCE "category_SEQ"'; EXCEPTION WHEN OTHERS TH
 BEGIN EXECUTE IMMEDIATE 'DROP SEQUENCE "item_SEQ"'; EXCEPTION WHEN OTHERS THEN IF SQLCODE != -2289 THEN RAISE; END IF; END;--
 BEGIN EXECUTE IMMEDIATE 'DROP SEQUENCE "order_SEQ"'; EXCEPTION WHEN OTHERS THEN IF SQLCODE != -2289 THEN RAISE; END IF; END;--
 BEGIN EXECUTE IMMEDIATE 'DROP SEQUENCE "order_with_null_fk_SEQ"'; EXCEPTION WHEN OTHERS THEN IF SQLCODE != -2289 THEN RAISE; END IF; END;--
+BEGIN EXECUTE IMMEDIATE 'DROP SEQUENCE "null_values_SEQ"'; EXCEPTION WHEN OTHERS THEN IF SQLCODE != -2289 THEN RAISE; END IF; END;--
 BEGIN EXECUTE IMMEDIATE 'DROP SEQUENCE "bool_values_SEQ"'; EXCEPTION WHEN OTHERS THEN IF SQLCODE != -2289 THEN RAISE; END IF; END;--
 BEGIN EXECUTE IMMEDIATE 'DROP SEQUENCE "animal_SEQ"'; EXCEPTION WHEN OTHERS THEN IF SQLCODE != -2289 THEN RAISE; END IF; END;--
 
@@ -127,6 +128,7 @@ CREATE TABLE "null_values" (
   "stringcol" varchar2(32) DEFAULT NULL,
   CONSTRAINT "null_values_PK" PRIMARY KEY ("id") ENABLE
 );
+CREATE SEQUENCE "null_values_SEQ";
 
 CREATE TABLE "type" (
   "int_col" integer NOT NULL,
@@ -220,6 +222,11 @@ CREATE TRIGGER "order_with_null_fk_TRG" BEFORE INSERT ON "order_with_null_fk" FO
 END COLUMN_SEQUENCES;
 END;
 /
+CREATE TRIGGER "null_values_TRG" BEFORE INSERT ON "null_values" FOR EACH ROW BEGIN <<COLUMN_SEQUENCES>> BEGIN
+  IF INSERTING AND :NEW."id" IS NULL THEN SELECT "null_values_SEQ".NEXTVAL INTO :NEW."id" FROM SYS.DUAL; END IF;
+END COLUMN_SEQUENCES;
+END;
+/
 CREATE TRIGGER "bool_values_TRG" BEFORE INSERT ON "bool_values" FOR EACH ROW BEGIN <<COLUMN_SEQUENCES>> BEGIN
   IF INSERTING AND :NEW."id" IS NULL THEN SELECT "bool_values_SEQ".NEXTVAL INTO :NEW."id" FROM SYS.DUAL; END IF;
 END COLUMN_SEQUENCES;
diff --git a/tests/data/postgres.sql b/tests/data/postgres.sql
index e5b201f51c..feceea4cc6 100644
--- a/tests/data/postgres.sql
+++ b/tests/data/postgres.sql
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ CREATE TABLE "composite_fk" (
 );
 
 CREATE TABLE "null_values" (
-  id INT NOT NULL,
+  id serial NOT NULL,
   var1 INT NULL,
   var2 INT NULL,
   var3 INT DEFAULT NULL,
diff --git a/tests/data/sqlite.sql b/tests/data/sqlite.sql
index 68fb4a81c4..a0349a4b69 100644
--- a/tests/data/sqlite.sql
+++ b/tests/data/sqlite.sql
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ CREATE TABLE "composite_fk" (
 );
 
 CREATE TABLE "null_values" (
-  id INTEGER UNSIGNED PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL,
+  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL,
   var1 INTEGER UNSIGNED,
   var2 INTEGER,
   var3 INTEGER DEFAULT NULL,
diff --git a/tests/framework/db/ActiveRecordTest.php b/tests/framework/db/ActiveRecordTest.php
index a6b3f937a5..bb0a61eace 100644
--- a/tests/framework/db/ActiveRecordTest.php
+++ b/tests/framework/db/ActiveRecordTest.php
@@ -687,7 +687,7 @@ class ActiveRecordTest extends DatabaseTestCase
         $model->updateCounters(['status' => 1]);
         $this->assertEquals(1, $model->status);
     }
-    
+
     public function testPopulateRecordCallWhenQueryingOnParentClass() 
     {
         (new Cat())->save(false);
@@ -699,4 +699,11 @@ class ActiveRecordTest extends DatabaseTestCase
         $animal = Animal::find()->where(['type' => Cat::className()])->one();
         $this->assertEquals('meow', $animal->getDoes());
     }
+
+    public function testSaveEmpty()
+    {
+        $record = new NullValues;
+        $this->assertTrue($record->save(false));
+        $this->assertEquals(1, $record->id);
+    }
 }