diff --git a/python/spot/__init__.py b/python/spot/__init__.py
index 97c1aa5d9..556a2bf04 100644
--- a/python/spot/__init__.py
+++ b/python/spot/__init__.py
@@ -20,21 +20,27 @@
 
 import sys
 
-
 if sys.hexversion < 0x03030000:
     sys.exit("This module requires Python 3.3 or newer")
 
+import subprocess
+import os
+import signal
+import tempfile
+from contextlib import suppress as _supress
+
+if 'SPOT_UNINSTALLED' in os.environ:
+    # When Spot is installed, _impl.so will be in the same directory as
+    # spot/impl.py, however when we run Spot's test suite, Spot is not yet
+    # installed and we want "from . import _impl" (generated by Swig4) to look
+    # into .libs/
+    __path__.extend(sys.path)
 
 from spot.impl import *
 from spot.aux import \
      extend as _extend, \
      str_to_svg as _str_to_svg, \
      ostream_to_svg as _ostream_to_svg
-import subprocess
-import os
-import signal
-import tempfile
-from contextlib import suppress as _supress
 
 
 # The parrameters used by default when show() is called on an automaton.
diff --git a/tests/run.in b/tests/run.in
index ecfff458a..e7ca121b2 100755
--- a/tests/run.in
+++ b/tests/run.in
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
-# Copyright (C) 2010, 2011, 2014-2016, 2018 Laboratoire de Recherche
+# Copyright (C) 2010, 2011, 2014-2016, 2018, 2019 Laboratoire de Recherche
 # et Developpement de l'EPITA (LRDE).
 # Copyright (C) 2003, 2004 Laboratoire d'Informatique de Paris 6
 # (LIP6), département Systèmes Répartis Coopératifs (SRC), Université
@@ -61,6 +61,8 @@ export top_builddir
 top_srcdir='@abs_top_srcdir@'
 export top_srcdir
 
+SPOT_UNINSTALLED=1
+export SPOT_UNINSTALLED
 
 case $1 in
     */*)