diff --git a/.changeset/lasteventid-persists-without-id.md b/.changeset/lasteventid-persists-without-id.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ba07d7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/lasteventid-persists-without-id.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+'eventsource': patch
+---
+
+Fixed `MessageEvent.lastEventId` being empty when a message omits the id field
+
+The `lastEventId` attribute is the last event ID string of the event source, so an explicit `id` field persists until another one replaces it. Message events were dispatched with the current event's own `id` instead of that buffer, which left `lastEventId` empty on every event that omitted `id`, even though the buffer still held the earlier value and would have been sent as `Last-Event-ID` on reconnect.
diff --git a/src/EventSource.ts b/src/EventSource.ts
index b878b43..60f29e9 100644
--- a/src/EventSource.ts
+++ b/src/EventSource.ts
@@ -594,7 +594,11 @@ class EventSourceImpl extends EventTarget implements EventSource {
     }
 
     const origin = this.#redirectUrl ? this.#redirectUrl.origin : this.#url.origin
-    const lastEventId = event.id || ''
+    // [spec] The `lastEventId` attribute is the last event ID string of the event
+    // source, i.e. the persisted buffer (`#lastEventId`) - not the current event's `id`.
+    // The buffer is only updated by an explicit `id` field (above) and must survive an
+    // event that omits `id`.
+    const lastEventId = this.#lastEventId ?? ""
 
     const messageEvent = new MessageEvent(event.event || 'message', {
       data: event.data,
diff --git a/test/client.test.ts b/test/client.test.ts
index 3eb2ae4..91cf743 100644
--- a/test/client.test.ts
+++ b/test/client.test.ts
@@ -346,6 +346,34 @@ test('will reconnect with last received message id if server disconnects', async
     origin: serverOrigin,
   })
   expect(onMessage.callCount).toBe(8)
+  await deferClose(es)
+})
+
+test('message event `lastEventId` persists when a later event omits the `id` field', async () => {
+  // Record every event, not just the most recent: the two events arrive back to back, so
+  // `lastArg` would already point at the second one by the time the first is asserted.
+  const seen: MessageEvent[] = []
+  const onMessage = getCallCounter({name: 'onMessage', onCall: () => {}})
+  const es = new OurEventSource(`${serverUrl}/mixed-ids`, esInit)
+
+  es.addEventListener('message', (event) => seen.push(event as MessageEvent))
+  es.addEventListener('message', onMessage.listener)
+
+  await onMessage.waitForCallCount(2)
+
+  // First event carries `id: 1`, which updates the last event ID buffer.
+  expect(seen[0], 'first message').toMatchObject({
+    data: 'First, with id',
+    lastEventId: '1',
+  })
+
+  // The second event omits the `id` field. Per the spec ("dispatch the event" initializes
+  // `lastEventId` to the last event ID string, and only an `id` field updates that buffer),
+  // the event must still carry `lastEventId: '1'` - not an empty string.
+  expect(seen[1], 'second message').toMatchObject({
+    data: 'Second, without id',
+    lastEventId: '1',
+  })
 
   await deferClose(es)
 })
diff --git a/test/helpers/server.ts b/test/helpers/server.ts
index ec72743..0dadcf8 100644
--- a/test/helpers/server.ts
+++ b/test/helpers/server.ts
@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@ export function handleRequest(
       return writeDefault(req, res)
     case '/counter':
       return writeCounter(req, res)
+    case '/mixed-ids':
+      return writeMixedIds(req, res)
     case '/identified':
       return writeIdentifiedListeners(req, res)
     case '/end-after-one':
@@ -141,6 +143,24 @@ async function writeCounter(req: IncomingMessage, res: ServerResponse) {
   res.end()
 }
 
+/**
+ * Writes two messages: one with an `id` field, then one without. Per the spec, the second
+ * event's `lastEventId` must still be `'1'`: the last event ID buffer is only updated by an
+ * explicit `id` field and is not reset when an event omits it.
+ */
+function writeMixedIds(_req: IncomingMessage, res: ServerResponse) {
+  res.writeHead(200, {
+    'Content-Type': 'text/event-stream',
+    'Cache-Control': 'no-cache',
+    Connection: 'keep-alive',
+  })
+
+  tryWrite(res, encode({id: '1', data: 'First, with id'}))
+  tryWrite(res, encode({data: 'Second, without id'}))
+
+  res.end()
+}
+
 async function writeIdentifiedListeners(req: IncomingMessage, res: ServerResponse) {
   const url = new URL(req.url || '/', 'http://localhost')
   const clientId = url.searchParams.get('client-id')