diff --git a/test/touchpad.c b/test/touchpad.c
index ef262f97..8bff5a9f 100644
--- a/test/touchpad.c
+++ b/test/touchpad.c
@@ -463,54 +463,60 @@ START_TEST(touchpad_edge_scroll_timeout)
 	struct libinput_event *event;
 	struct libinput_event_pointer *ptrev;
 	double width = 0, height = 0;
-	int y_movement = 30; /* in percent of height */
+	int nevents = 0;
+	double mm; /* one mm in percent of the device */
 
-	/* account for different touchpad heights, let's move 100% on a 15mm
-	   high touchpad, less on anything else. This number is picked at
-	   random, we just want deltas less than 5.
-	   */
-	if (libinput_device_get_size(dev->libinput_device,
-				     &width,
-				     &height) != -1) {
-		y_movement = 100 * 15/height;
-	}
+	ck_assert_int_eq(libinput_device_get_size(dev->libinput_device,
+						  &width,
+						  &height), 0);
+	mm = 100.0/height;
+
+	/* timeout-based scrolling is disabled when software buttons are
+	 * active, so switch to clickfinger. Not all test devices support
+	 * that, hence the extra check. */
+	if (libinput_device_config_click_get_methods(dev->libinput_device) &
+	    LIBINPUT_CONFIG_CLICK_METHOD_CLICKFINGER)
+		litest_enable_clickfinger(dev);
 
 	litest_drain_events(li);
 	litest_enable_edge_scroll(dev);
 
+	/* move 0.5mm, enough to load up the motion history, but less than
+	 * the scroll threshold of 2mm */
 	litest_touch_down(dev, 0, 99, 20);
+	litest_touch_move_to(dev, 0, 99, 20, 99, 20 + mm/2, 8, 0);
 	libinput_dispatch(li);
+	litest_assert_empty_queue(li);
+
 	litest_timeout_edgescroll();
 	libinput_dispatch(li);
 
-	litest_touch_move_to(dev, 0, 99, 20, 99, 20 + y_movement, 100, 10);
+	litest_assert_empty_queue(li);
+
+	/* now move slowly up to the 2mm scroll threshold. we expect events */
+	litest_touch_move_to(dev, 0, 99, 20 + mm/2, 99, 20 + mm * 2, 20, 0);
 	litest_touch_up(dev, 0);
 	libinput_dispatch(li);
 
-	event = libinput_get_event(li);
-	ck_assert_notnull(event);
-
 	litest_wait_for_event_of_type(li, LIBINPUT_EVENT_POINTER_AXIS, -1);
 
-	while (libinput_next_event_type(li) != LIBINPUT_EVENT_NONE) {
-		double axisval;
-		ck_assert_int_eq(libinput_event_get_type(event),
-				 LIBINPUT_EVENT_POINTER_AXIS);
-		ptrev = libinput_event_get_pointer_event(event);
-
-		axisval = libinput_event_pointer_get_axis_value(ptrev,
-				 LIBINPUT_POINTER_AXIS_SCROLL_VERTICAL);
-		ck_assert(axisval > 0.0);
-
-		/* this is to verify we test the right thing, if the value
-		   is greater than scroll.threshold we triggered the wrong
-		   condition */
-		ck_assert(axisval < 5.0);
+	while ((event = libinput_get_event(li))) {
+		double value;
 
+		ptrev = litest_is_axis_event(event,
+					     LIBINPUT_POINTER_AXIS_SCROLL_VERTICAL,
+					     0);
+		value = libinput_event_pointer_get_axis_value(ptrev,
+							      LIBINPUT_POINTER_AXIS_SCROLL_VERTICAL);
+		ck_assert_double_lt(value, 5.0);
 		libinput_event_destroy(event);
-		event = libinput_get_event(li);
+		nevents++;
 	}
 
+	/* we sent 20 events but allow for some to be swallowed by rounding
+	 * errors, the hysteresis, etc. */
+	ck_assert_int_ge(nevents, 10);
+
 	litest_assert_empty_queue(li);
 	libinput_event_destroy(event);
 }