diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 97a5e8de49..1f26639e4f 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1694,7 +1694,6 @@ if test -n "$gdb_bin"; then
 fi
 
 if test "$container" != no; then
-    echo "ENGINE=$container" >> $config_host_mak
     echo "RUNC=$runc" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
 echo "SUBDIRS=$subdirs" >> $config_host_mak
diff --git a/tests/docker/Makefile.include b/tests/docker/Makefile.include
index dfabafab92..ab68b2dbad 100644
--- a/tests/docker/Makefile.include
+++ b/tests/docker/Makefile.include
@@ -16,9 +16,8 @@ DOCKER_DEFAULT_REGISTRY := registry.gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu
 endif
 DOCKER_REGISTRY := $(if $(REGISTRY),$(REGISTRY),$(DOCKER_DEFAULT_REGISTRY))
 
-RUNC ?= docker
-ENGINE ?= auto
-DOCKER_SCRIPT=$(SRC_PATH)/tests/docker/docker.py --engine $(ENGINE)
+RUNC ?= $(if $(shell command -v docker), docker, podman)
+DOCKER_SCRIPT=$(SRC_PATH)/tests/docker/docker.py --engine $(RUNC)
 
 CUR_TIME := $(shell date +%Y-%m-%d-%H.%M.%S.$$$$)
 DOCKER_SRC_COPY := $(BUILD_DIR)/docker-src.$(CUR_TIME)
@@ -158,7 +157,7 @@ $(foreach i,$(filter-out $(DOCKER_PARTIAL_IMAGES),$(DOCKER_IMAGES)), \
 )
 
 docker:
-	@echo 'Build QEMU and run tests inside Docker or Podman containers'
+	@echo 'Build QEMU and run tests inside $(RUNC) containers'
 	@echo
 	@echo 'Available targets:'
 	@echo
@@ -198,8 +197,6 @@ docker:
 	@echo '    EXECUTABLE=<path>    Include executable in image.'
 	@echo '    EXTRA_FILES="<path> [... <path>]"'
 	@echo '                         Include extra files in image.'
-	@echo '    ENGINE=auto/docker/podman'
-	@echo '                         Specify which container engine to run.'
 	@echo '    REGISTRY=url         Cache builds from registry (default:$(DOCKER_REGISTRY))'
 
 docker-help: docker