diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 063278c0ba..620ffdb250 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -104,10 +104,12 @@ AC_CONFIG_LIBOBJ_DIR([common])
 dnl +-------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 AC_PROG_CC
+AC_PROG_CC_C99
 dnl Needed for per-target flags
 AM_PROG_CC_C_O
 AC_PROG_CPP
 AC_PROG_CXX
+AC_PROG_CXX_C_O
 AC_PROG_INSTALL
 AC_PROG_MKDIR_P
 AC_PROG_LN_S
@@ -155,18 +157,6 @@ AC_CHECK_FUNCS(vsnprintf snprintf, [], [
 AC_REPLACE_FUNCS(setenv strerror atexit)
 
 
-dnl
-dnl Tests for CppUnit availability and usability
-dnl Using CppUnit implies C++ support!
-dnl Theoretically, libcppunit-dev will pull up to g++, through libstdc++...
-dnl AM_PATH_CPPUNIT(1.9.6)
-
-PKG_CHECK_MODULES(CPPUNIT, cppunit, have_cppunit=yes, have_cppunit=no)
-if test "${have_cppunit}" != "yes" ; then
-	AC_MSG_WARN([libcppunit not found.])
-fi
-AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_CPPUNIT, test "${have_cppunit}" = "yes")
-
 dnl
 dnl Only use these when compiling with gcc
 dnl
@@ -1218,6 +1208,63 @@ else
 fi
 AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_SYSTEMD, test "$systemdsystemunitdir" != "")
 
+dnl
+dnl Tests for CppUnit availability and usability (will be built if we can,
+dnl and if valgrind is enabled for this configuration - reported below).
+dnl Using CppUnit implies C++ support!
+dnl Theoretically, libcppunit-dev will pull up to g++, through libstdc++...
+dnl AM_PATH_CPPUNIT(1.9.6)
+
+dnl # Tests with gcc-4.8 require this C++11 option to be provided explicitly
+dnl # gcc-4.6 does not support this yet; newer gcc's should be ok by default.
+dnl # Could use `AX_CXX_COMPILE_STDCXX_11([noext], [optional])` if it were
+dnl # available everywhere. Or AX_CHECK_COMPILE_FLAG if it was ubiquitous:
+dnl ###AX_CHECK_COMPILE_FLAG([-std=c++11],
+dnl ###    [CXXFLAGS="$CXXFLAGS -std=c++11"
+dnl ###     HAVE_CXX11=1],
+dnl ###    [HAVE_CXX11=0])
+
+AC_MSG_CHECKING(for C++11 support in current compiler)
+my_CXXFLAGS="$CXXFLAGS"
+AC_LANG_PUSH([C++])
+
+AC_COMPILE_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[
+#include <stdio.h>
+#if __cplusplus < 201103L
+  #error This library needs at least a C++11 compliant compiler
+#endif
+]], [[printf("%ld\n", __cplusplus);]])
+],
+    [AC_MSG_RESULT([yes, out of the box])
+     HAVE_CXX11=1],
+    [CXXFLAGS="$CXXFLAGS -std=c++11"
+     AC_COMPILE_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[
+#include <stdio.h>
+#if __cplusplus < 201103L
+  #error This library needs at least a C++11 compliant compiler
+#endif
+        ]], [[printf("%ld\n", __cplusplus);]])
+        ],
+        [AC_MSG_RESULT([yes, GCC-style])
+         HAVE_CXX11=1],
+            [AC_MSG_RESULT([no])
+             CXXFLAGS="$my_CXXFLAGS"
+             HAVE_CXX11=0])])
+AC_LANG_POP([C++])
+
+have_cppunit="no"
+CPPUNIT_NUT_CXXFLAGS=""
+AS_IF([test "${HAVE_CXX11}" = 1],
+    [PKG_CHECK_MODULES(CPPUNIT, cppunit, have_cppunit=yes, have_cppunit=no)
+     if test "${have_cppunit}" != "yes" ; then
+        AC_MSG_WARN([libcppunit not found - those C++ tests will not be built.])
+     else
+     AS_IF([test -n "$CXX"],[AS_IF([$CXX --version 2>&1 | grep 'Free Software Foundation' > /dev/null],
+        [CPPUNIT_NUT_CXXFLAGS="-g -O0"])])
+     fi])
+AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_CPPUNIT, test "${have_cppunit}" = "yes")
+AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(CPPUNIT_NUT_CXXFLAGS, $CPPUNIT_NUT_CXXFLAGS, [Compiler flags for cppunit tests])
+
 AC_MSG_CHECKING(whether to install Augeas configuration-management lenses)
 AC_ARG_WITH(augeas-lenses-dir,
 	AS_HELP_STRING([--with-augeas-lenses-dir=PATH], [where to install Augeas configuration-management lenses (/usr/share/augeas/lenses{/dist,/})]),
@@ -1389,6 +1436,13 @@ fi
 AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_VALGRIND], [test "x${VALGRIND}" != "xnone"])
 AM_CONDITIONAL([WITH_VALGRIND], [test "x${with_valgrind}" = "xyes"])
 
+AC_MSG_CHECKING([whether to build cppunit tests using valgrind support])
+if test "x${with_valgrind}" = xyes && test "x${have_cppunit}" = xyes ; then
+	AC_MSG_RESULT(yes)
+else
+	AC_MSG_RESULT(no)
+fi
+
 dnl expand ${sysconfdir} and write it out
 conftemp="${sysconfdir}"
 eval conftemp=\"${conftemp}\"
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index e44bb084e8..5f39fac799 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -1,9 +1,5 @@
 # Network UPS Tools: tests
 
-# Tests with gcc-4.8 require this C++11 option to be provided explicitly
-# gcc-4.6 does not support this yet; newer gcc's should be ok by default
-CPPUNIT_NUT_CFLAGS = -g -O0 -std=c++11
-
 if HAVE_CPPUNIT
 
 TESTS = cppunittest
@@ -15,7 +11,7 @@ check-local: $(check_PROGRAMS)
 	RES=0; for P in $^ ; do $(VALGRIND) ./$$P || { RES=$$? ; echo "FAILED: $(VALGRIND) ./$$P" >&2; }; done; exit $$RES
 endif
 
-cppunittest_CXXFLAGS = $(CPPUNIT_CFLAGS) $(CPPUNIT_NUT_CFLAGS)
+cppunittest_CXXFLAGS = $(CPPUNIT_CFLAGS) $(CPPUNIT_CXXFLAGS) $(CPPUNIT_NUT_CXXFLAGS) $(CXXFLAGS)
 cppunittest_LDFLAGS = $(CPPUNIT_LIBS)
 cppunittest_LDADD = ../clients/libnutclient.la