diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index fad3278..c69c0d1 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,110 +1,113 @@
 # Copyright (C) 2008 by Volker Lanz <vl@fidra.de>
 # Copyright (C) 2014-2017 by Andrius Štikonas <andrius@stikonas.eu>
 #
 # This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
 # modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as
 # published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of
 # the License, or (at your option) any later version.
 #
 # This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
 # but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
 # MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
 # GNU General Public License for more details.
 #
 # You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
 # along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 
 project(kpmcore)
 
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 2.8.12 FATAL_ERROR)
 
 set(CMAKE_USE_RELATIVE_PATHS OFF)
 set(CMAKE_BUILD_WITH_INSTALL_RPATH ON)
 
 set(QT_MIN_VERSION "5.7.0")
 set(VERSION_MAJOR "3")
 set(VERSION_MINOR "2")
 set(VERSION_RELEASE "0")
 set(VERSION ${VERSION_MAJOR}.${VERSION_MINOR}.${VERSION_RELEASE})
 set(SOVERSION "6")
 add_definitions(-D'VERSION="${VERSION}"') #"
 
 find_package(ECM 1.0.0 REQUIRED NO_MODULE)
 set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${ECM_MODULE_PATH} ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH} "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/modules/")
 
 include(KDEInstallDirs)
 include(KDECMakeSettings)
 include(KDECompilerSettings NO_POLICY_SCOPE)
 include(FeatureSummary)
 include(GenerateExportHeader)
 include(ECMSetupVersion)
 include(ECMPackageConfigHelpers)
 
 ecm_setup_version(${VERSION} VARIABLE_PREFIX KPMCORE
                         VERSION_HEADER "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/kpmcore_version.h"
                         PACKAGE_VERSION_FILE "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/KPMcoreConfigVersion.cmake"
                         SOVERSION ${SOVERSION})
 
 find_package(Qt5 ${QT_MIN_VERSION} CONFIG REQUIRED COMPONENTS
   Core
   DBus
   Gui
   Widgets
 )
 
 # Load the frameworks we need
 find_package(KF5 REQUIRED
   I18n
   CoreAddons
   WidgetsAddons
 )
 
 # use sane compile flags
 add_definitions(
   -DQT_USE_QSTRINGBUILDER
   -DQT_NO_CAST_TO_ASCII
   -DQT_NO_CAST_FROM_ASCII
   -DQT_STRICT_ITERATORS
   -DQT_NO_URL_CAST_FROM_STRING
   -DQT_NO_CAST_FROM_BYTEARRAY
   -DQT_NO_CAST_TO_BYTEARRAY
   -DQT_NO_SIGNALS_SLOTS_KEYWORDS
   -DQT_USE_FAST_OPERATOR_PLUS
 )
 kde_enable_exceptions()
 
 
 find_package(PkgConfig REQUIRED)
 pkg_check_modules(BLKID REQUIRED blkid>=2.30)
 pkg_check_modules(LIBATASMART REQUIRED libatasmart)
 
 include_directories(${Qt5Core_INCLUDE_DIRS} ${UUID_INCLUDE_DIRS} ${BLKID_INCLUDE_DIRS} lib/ src/)
 
 add_subdirectory(src)
 
 # create a Config.cmake and a ConfigVersion.cmake file and install them
 set(INCLUDE_INSTALL_DIR "include/kpmcore/")
 set(CMAKECONFIG_INSTALL_DIR "${CMAKECONFIG_INSTALL_PREFIX}/KPMcore")
 
 ecm_configure_package_config_file("${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/KPMcoreConfig.cmake.in"
                               "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/KPMcoreConfig.cmake"
                               INSTALL_DESTINATION  ${CMAKECONFIG_INSTALL_DIR}
                               PATH_VARS INCLUDE_INSTALL_DIR
                               )
 
 install(FILES  "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/KPMcoreConfig.cmake"
                "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/KPMcoreConfigVersion.cmake"
         DESTINATION "${CMAKECONFIG_INSTALL_DIR}"
         COMPONENT Devel )
 
 install(EXPORT KPMcoreTargets DESTINATION "${CMAKECONFIG_INSTALL_DIR}" FILE KPMcoreTargets.cmake )
 
 ki18n_install(po)
 
 set_target_properties( kpmcore
   PROPERTIES VERSION ${VERSION} SOVERSION ${SOVERSION}
 )
 
 message(STATUS "kpmcore ${VERSION} will be built for install into ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}")
 
 feature_summary(WHAT ALL INCLUDE_QUIET_PACKAGES FATAL_ON_MISSING_REQUIRED_PACKAGES)
+
+enable_testing()
+add_subdirectory(test)
diff --git a/test/CMakeLists.txt b/test/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7fc76eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+# Tests for KPMcore
+#
+# These are not so much "tests" as "small example programs". They illustrate
+# how to use the library, how to perform common tasks.
+
+set(CMAKE_SKIP_BUILD_RPATH  FALSE)
+SET(CMAKE_BUILD_WITH_INSTALL_RPATH FALSE)
+set(CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH_USE_LINK_PATH TRUE)
+
+include_directories(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src)  # To get at KPMcore headers
+add_compile_options(-fPIC)
+
+###
+#
+# Helper macro to link to the helper (for initialization of kpmcore)
+# and to add a test with the given name.
+#
+add_library(testhelpers OBJECT helpers.cpp)
+
+macro (kpm_test name)
+    add_executable(${name} ${ARGN} $<TARGET_OBJECTS:testhelpers>)
+    target_link_libraries(${name} kpmcore)
+    add_test(${name} ${name})
+endmacro()
+
+###
+#
+# Tests of initialization: try explicitly loading some backends
+kpm_test(testinit testinit.cpp)  # Default backend
+if(TARGET pmdummybackendplugin)
+    add_test(NAME testinit-dummy COMMAND testinit $<TARGET_FILE:pmdummybackendplugin>)
+endif()
+if(TARGET pmlibpartedbackendplugin)
+    add_test(NAME testinit-parted COMMAND testinit $<TARGET_FILE:pmlibpartedbackendplugin>)
+endif()
diff --git a/test/helpers.cpp b/test/helpers.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1021cbd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/helpers.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+#include "helpers.h"
+
+#include "backend/corebackendmanager.h"
+
+#include <QDebug>
+#include <QString>
+
+static bool s_KPMcoreInited = false;
+
+KPMCoreInitializer::KPMCoreInitializer() :
+    m_isValid( s_KPMcoreInited )
+{
+    if ( !s_KPMcoreInited )
+    {
+        QByteArray env = qgetenv( "KPMCORE_BACKEND" );
+        auto backendName = env.isEmpty() ? CoreBackendManager::defaultBackendName() : QString::fromLatin1(env);
+
+        if ( !CoreBackendManager::self()->load( backendName ) )
+        {
+            qWarning() << "Failed to load backend plugin" << backendName;
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            m_isValid = s_KPMcoreInited = true;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+KPMCoreInitializer::KPMCoreInitializer(const QString& backendName) :
+    m_isValid( s_KPMcoreInited )
+{
+    if (!s_KPMcoreInited)
+    {
+        if ( !CoreBackendManager::self()->load( backendName ) )
+        {
+            qWarning() << "Failed to load backend plugin" << backendName;
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            m_isValid = s_KPMcoreInited = true;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+KPMCoreInitializer::KPMCoreInitializer(const char *backend) : KPMCoreInitializer( QString::fromLatin1(backend) )
+{
+}
diff --git a/test/helpers.h b/test/helpers.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ea60a6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/helpers.h
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#ifndef TEST_KPMHELPERS_H
+#define TEST_KPMHELPERS_H
+
+class QString;
+
+class KPMCoreInitializer
+{
+public:
+    KPMCoreInitializer();
+    KPMCoreInitializer(const QString& backend);
+    KPMCoreInitializer(const char *backend);
+
+    bool isValid() const { return m_isValid; }
+private:
+    bool m_isValid;
+} ;
+
+#endif
diff --git a/test/testinit.cpp b/test/testinit.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..877ba70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/testinit.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#include "helpers.h"
+
+int main(int argc, char **argv)
+{
+    if (argc != 2)
+    {
+        KPMCoreInitializer i;
+        return i.isValid() ? 0 : 1;
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        KPMCoreInitializer i(argv[1]);
+        return i.isValid() ? 0 : 1;
+    }
+}
+