diff --git a/src/libnm-platform/nm-linux-platform.c b/src/libnm-platform/nm-linux-platform.c
index 31186d4a0e..c0c57618f9 100644
--- a/src/libnm-platform/nm-linux-platform.c
+++ b/src/libnm-platform/nm-linux-platform.c
@@ -3058,6 +3058,15 @@ _new_from_nl_link(NMPlatform *     platform,
     }
 
     if (tb[IFLA_PERM_ADDRESS]) {
+        if (!_nm_platform_kernel_support_detected(
+                NM_PLATFORM_KERNEL_SUPPORT_TYPE_IFLA_PERM_ADDRESS)) {
+            /* support for IFLA_PERM_ADDRESS was added in f74877a5457d34d604dba6dbbb13c4c05bac8b93,
+             * kernel 5.6, 30 March 2020.
+             *
+             * We can only detect support if the attribute is present. A missing attribute
+             * is not conclusive. */
+            _nm_platform_kernel_support_init(NM_PLATFORM_KERNEL_SUPPORT_TYPE_IFLA_PERM_ADDRESS, 1);
+        }
         _nmp_link_address_set(&obj->link.l_perm_address, tb[IFLA_PERM_ADDRESS]);
         perm_address_complete_from_cache = FALSE;
     }
diff --git a/src/libnm-platform/nm-platform.c b/src/libnm-platform/nm-platform.c
index 0e0dc348b7..ae9ee04e97 100644
--- a/src/libnm-platform/nm-platform.c
+++ b/src/libnm-platform/nm-platform.c
@@ -349,6 +349,12 @@ static const struct {
             .name                 = "IFLA_BR_VLAN_STATS_ENABLE",
             .desc                 = "IFLA_BR_VLAN_STATS_ENABLE bridge link attribute",
         },
+    [NM_PLATFORM_KERNEL_SUPPORT_TYPE_IFLA_PERM_ADDRESS] =
+        {
+            .compile_time_default = (IFLA_MAX >= 54 /* IFLA_PERM_ADDRESS */),
+            .name                 = "IFLA_PERM_ADDRESS",
+            .desc                 = "IFLA_PERM_ADDRESS netlink attribute",
+        },
 };
 
 int
@@ -1779,6 +1785,13 @@ nm_platform_link_get_permanent_address(NMPlatform *          self,
         *out_address = plink->l_perm_address;
         return TRUE;
     }
+    if (nm_platform_kernel_support_get_full(NM_PLATFORM_KERNEL_SUPPORT_TYPE_IFLA_PERM_ADDRESS,
+                                            FALSE)
+        == NM_OPTION_BOOL_TRUE) {
+        /* kernel supports the netlink API IFLA_PERM_ADDRESS, but we don't have the
+         * address cached. There is no need to fallback to ethtool ioctl. */
+        return FALSE;
+    }
     return nm_platform_link_get_permanent_address_ethtool(self, plink->ifindex, out_address);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/libnm-platform/nm-platform.h b/src/libnm-platform/nm-platform.h
index 8965700082..b20b18c4dd 100644
--- a/src/libnm-platform/nm-platform.h
+++ b/src/libnm-platform/nm-platform.h
@@ -1018,6 +1018,7 @@ typedef enum {
     NM_PLATFORM_KERNEL_SUPPORT_TYPE_FRA_UID_RANGE,
     NM_PLATFORM_KERNEL_SUPPORT_TYPE_FRA_PROTOCOL,
     NM_PLATFORM_KERNEL_SUPPORT_TYPE_IFLA_BR_VLAN_STATS_ENABLED,
+    NM_PLATFORM_KERNEL_SUPPORT_TYPE_IFLA_PERM_ADDRESS,
 
     /* this also includes FRA_SPORT_RANGE and FRA_DPORT_RANGE which
      * were added at the same time. */