diff --git a/meta-test/conf/local.conf.sample b/meta-test/conf/local.conf.sample
index 2dbe28f1..74ee90b1 100644
--- a/meta-test/conf/local.conf.sample
+++ b/meta-test/conf/local.conf.sample
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ BB_DISKMON_DIRS = "\
 MIRRORS ?= "git?://salsa\.debian\.org/debian/.* git://github.com/ilbers/BASENAME"
 MIRRORS += "https?://cdn\.kernel\.org/.* https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/PATH"
 
+# Use new base-apt behaviour
+ISAR_PREFETCH_BASE_APT ?= "1"
+
 # Users and groups
 USERS += "root"
 USER_root[password] ??= "$6$rounds=10000$RXeWrnFmkY$DtuS/OmsAS2cCEDo0BF5qQsizIrq6jPgXnwv3PHqREJeKd1sXdHX/ayQtuQWVDHe0KIO0/sVH8dvQm1KthF0d/"
diff --git a/testsuite/cibase.py b/testsuite/cibase.py
index 4a6308d0..348b8cde 100755
--- a/testsuite/cibase.py
+++ b/testsuite/cibase.py
@@ -71,10 +71,14 @@ class CIBaseTest(CIBuilder):
             self.fail("GPG import failed")
 
         try:
+            self.move_in_build_dir('tmp', 'tmp_before_repro')
             self.bitbake(targets, **kwargs)
 
             repro_type = 'signed' if signed else 'unsigned'
             self.move_in_build_dir('tmp', f"tmp_middle_repro_{repro_type}")
+
+            os.makedirs(f"{self.build_dir}/tmp/deploy/")
+            self.move_in_build_dir(f"tmp_middle_repro_{repro_type}/deploy/base-apt", 'tmp/deploy/base-apt')
             self.configure(
                 gpg_pub_key=gpg_pub_key if signed else None,
                 offline=True,
diff --git a/testsuite/cibuilder.py b/testsuite/cibuilder.py
index d42e8631..34aed471 100755
--- a/testsuite/cibuilder.py
+++ b/testsuite/cibuilder.py
@@ -161,6 +161,10 @@ class CIBuilder(Test):
         fail_on_cleanup = os.getenv('ISAR_FAIL_ON_CLEANUP')
 
         strlines = None if lines is None else '\\n'.join(lines)
+
+        # get prefetch base apt mode from environment
+        prefetch_base_apt = os.getenv('ISAR_PREFETCH_BASE_APT')
+
         self.log.info(
             f"===================================================\n"
             f"Configuring build_dir {self.build_dir}\n"
@@ -184,6 +188,7 @@ class CIBuilder(Test):
             f"  generate_sbom = {generate_sbom}\n"
             f"  rootless = {rootless}\n"
             f"  lines = {strlines}\n"
+            f"  prefetch_base_apt = {prefetch_base_apt}\n"
             f"==================================================="
         )
 
@@ -288,6 +293,8 @@ class CIBuilder(Test):
                 f.write('ISAR_ROOTLESS = "1"\n')
             if lines is not None:
                 f.writelines((line + '\n' if not line.endswith('\n') else line) for line in lines)
+            if prefetch_base_apt == "0":
+                f.write('ISAR_PREFETCH_BASE_APT = "0"\n')
 
         # include ci_build.conf in local.conf
         with open(self.build_dir + '/conf/local.conf', 'r+') as f: