diff --git a/nixos/modules/image/repart-verity-store.nix b/nixos/modules/image/repart-verity-store.nix
index c18099b37bf6..b396c445c617 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/image/repart-verity-store.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/image/repart-verity-store.nix
@@ -123,7 +123,11 @@ in
           (
             _: previousAttrs: {
               # make it easier to identify the intermediate image in build logs
-              pname = "${previousAttrs.pname}-intermediate";
+              name =
+                if previousAttrs ? pname then
+                  "${previousAttrs.pname}-${previousAttrs.version}-intermediate"
+                else
+                  "${previousAttrs.name}-intermediate";
 
               # do not prepare the ESP, this is done in the final image
               systemdRepartFlags = previousAttrs.systemdRepartFlags ++ [ "--defer-partitions=esp" ];
diff --git a/nixos/tests/appliance-repart-image-verity-store.nix b/nixos/tests/appliance-repart-image-verity-store.nix
index 5751cec44bc2..2199ab368f1f 100644
--- a/nixos/tests/appliance-repart-image-verity-store.nix
+++ b/nixos/tests/appliance-repart-image-verity-store.nix
@@ -10,13 +10,8 @@
     willibutz
   ];
 
-  nodes.machine =
-    {
-      config,
-      lib,
-      pkgs,
-      ...
-    }:
+  defaults =
+    { config, lib, ... }:
     let
       inherit (config.image.repart.verityStore) partitionIds;
     in
@@ -75,10 +70,7 @@
         initrd.systemd.enable = true;
       };
 
-      system.image = {
-        id = "nixos-appliance";
-        version = "1";
-      };
+      system.image.id = "nixos-appliance";
 
       # don't create /usr/bin/env
       # this would require some extra work on read-only /usr
@@ -86,6 +78,12 @@
       system.activationScripts.usrbinenv = lib.mkForce "";
     };
 
+  nodes.machine = {
+    system.image.version = "1";
+  };
+
+  nodes.without-version = { };
+
   testScript =
     { nodes, ... }: # python
     ''
@@ -93,32 +91,50 @@
       import subprocess
       import tempfile
 
-      tmp_disk_image = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile()
+      def create_disk_image(qemu_img, backing_file):
+        tmp = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile()
+        subprocess.run([
+          qemu_img,
+          "create",
+          "-f",
+          "qcow2",
+          "-b",
+          backing_file,
+          "-F",
+          "raw",
+          tmp.name,
+        ], check=True)
+        return tmp
 
-      subprocess.run([
+      def run_verity_tests(machine):
+        with subtest("Running with volatile root"):
+          machine.succeed("findmnt --kernel --type tmpfs /")
+
+        with subtest("/nix/store is backed by dm-verity protected fs"):
+          verity_info = machine.succeed("dmsetup info --target verity usr")
+          assert "ACTIVE" in verity_info, f"unexpected verity info: {verity_info}"
+
+          backing_device = machine.succeed("df --output=source /nix/store | tail -n1").strip()
+          assert "/dev/mapper/usr" == backing_device, f"unexpected backing device: {backing_device}"
+
+      tmp_disk_machine = create_disk_image(
         "${nodes.machine.virtualisation.qemu.package}/bin/qemu-img",
-        "create",
-        "-f",
-        "qcow2",
-        "-b",
         "${nodes.machine.system.build.image}/${nodes.machine.image.filePath}",
-        "-F",
-        "raw",
-        tmp_disk_image.name,
-      ])
-
-      os.environ['NIX_DISK_IMAGE'] = tmp_disk_image.name
-
+      )
+      os.environ['NIX_DISK_IMAGE'] = tmp_disk_machine.name
       machine.wait_for_unit("default.target")
+      run_verity_tests(machine)
+      with subtest("Image version is set"):
+        machine.succeed("grep IMAGE_VERSION=1 /etc/os-release")
 
-      with subtest("Running with volatile root"):
-        machine.succeed("findmnt --kernel --type tmpfs /")
-
-      with subtest("/nix/store is backed by dm-verity protected fs"):
-        verity_info = machine.succeed("dmsetup info --target verity usr")
-        assert "ACTIVE" in verity_info,f"unexpected verity info: {verity_info}"
-
-        backing_device = machine.succeed("df --output=source /nix/store | tail -n1").strip()
-        assert "/dev/mapper/usr" == backing_device,"unexpected backing device: {backing_device}"
+      tmp_disk_without_version = create_disk_image(
+        "${nodes."without-version".virtualisation.qemu.package}/bin/qemu-img",
+        "${nodes."without-version".system.build.image}/${nodes."without-version".image.filePath}",
+      )
+      os.environ['NIX_DISK_IMAGE'] = tmp_disk_without_version.name
+      without_version.wait_for_unit("default.target")
+      run_verity_tests(without_version)
+      with subtest("Image version is not set"):
+        without_version.succeed('grep IMAGE_VERSION="" /etc/os-release')
     '';
 }