diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 066c9d54f8..1cbe601da9 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -756,7 +756,7 @@ AS_IF([test "$with_valgrind" == "yes"],
 	[AC_PATH_PROGS(with_valgrind, valgrind, no)])
 # Add conditionals and substitutions
 AM_CONDITIONAL(ENABLE_TESTS, test "$enable_tests" != "no")
-AM_CONDITIONAL(RUN_ROOT_TESTS, test "$enable_tests" == "root")
+AM_CONDITIONAL(REQUIRE_ROOT_TESTS, test "$enable_tests" == "root")
 AS_IF([test "$with_valgrind" != "no"],
 	AC_SUBST(VALGRIND_RULES, 'TESTS_ENVIRONMENT = "$(top_srcdir)/tools/run-test-valgrind.sh" "$(LIBTOOL)" "$(with_valgrind)" "$(top_srcdir)/valgrind.suppressions"'),
 	AC_SUBST(VALGRIND_RULES, []))
diff --git a/src/platform/tests/Makefile.am b/src/platform/tests/Makefile.am
index 9bdb4452bc..9b10ea7b2a 100644
--- a/src/platform/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/platform/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ AM_CPPFLAGS = \
 	$(GUDEV_CFLAGS) \
 	$(LIBNL_CFLAGS)
 
+if REQUIRE_ROOT_TESTS
+AM_CPPFLAGS += -DREQUIRE_ROOT_TESTS=1
+endif
+
 PLATFORM_SOURCES = \
 	../nm-platform.c \
 	../nm-fake-platform.c \
@@ -106,20 +110,7 @@ test_cleanup_linux_CPPFLAGS = \
 	-DKERNEL_HACKS=1
 test_cleanup_linux_LDADD = $(PLATFORM_LDADD)
 
-# Unfortunately, we cannot run nm-linux-platform-test as an automatic test
-# program by default, as it requires root access and modifies kernel
-# configuration.
-#
-# However, we can check whether the fake platform fakes platform behavior
-# correctly.
+#@VALGRIND_RULES@
+TESTS = test-link-fake test-address-fake test-route-fake test-cleanup-fake test-link-linux test-address-linux test-route-linux test-cleanup-linux
 
-@VALGRIND_RULES@
-USERTESTS = test-link-fake test-address-fake test-route-fake test-cleanup-fake
-ROOTTESTS = test-link-linux test-address-linux test-route-linux test-cleanup-linux
 
-# If explicitly enabled, we can run the root tests
-if RUN_ROOT_TESTS
-TESTS = $(USERTESTS) $(ROOTTESTS)
-else
-TESTS = $(USERTESTS)
-endif
diff --git a/src/platform/tests/test-common.c b/src/platform/tests/test-common.c
index 686536f857..1c8550593b 100644
--- a/src/platform/tests/test-common.c
+++ b/src/platform/tests/test-common.c
@@ -145,9 +145,20 @@ int
 main (int argc, char **argv)
 {
 	int result;
+	const char *program = *argv;
 
 	nmtst_init (&argc, &argv, NULL, "ALL");
 
+	if (SETUP == nm_linux_platform_setup && getuid() != 0) {
+#ifdef REQUIRE_ROOT_TESTS
+		g_message ("Fail test: requires root privileges (%s)", program);
+		return EXIT_FAILURE;
+#else
+		g_message ("Skipping test: requires root privileges (%s)", program);
+		return 77;
+#endif
+	}
+
 	SETUP ();
 
 	setup_tests ();