diff --git a/tests/e2e/cluster_downgrade_test.go b/tests/e2e/cluster_downgrade_test.go
index f0d1ac307..0d80f0c4b 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/cluster_downgrade_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/cluster_downgrade_test.go
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ func testDowngradeUpgrade(t *testing.T, numberOfMembersToDowngrade int, clusterS
 	t.Logf("Elect members for operations on members: %v", membersToChange)
 
 	t.Logf("Starting downgrade process to %q", lastVersionStr)
-	err = e2e.DowngradeUpgradeMembersByID(t, nil, epc, membersToChange, currentVersion, lastClusterVersion)
+	err = e2e.DowngradeUpgradeMembersByID(t, nil, epc, membersToChange, true, currentVersion, lastClusterVersion)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	if len(membersToChange) == len(epc.Procs) {
 		e2e.AssertProcessLogs(t, epc.Procs[epc.WaitLeader(t)], "the cluster has been downgraded")
@@ -210,11 +210,12 @@ func testDowngradeUpgrade(t *testing.T, numberOfMembersToDowngrade int, clusterS
 	beforeMembers, beforeKV = getMembersAndKeys(t, cc)
 
 	t.Logf("Starting upgrade process to %q", currentVersionStr)
-	err = e2e.DowngradeUpgradeMembersByID(t, nil, epc, membersToChange, lastClusterVersion, currentVersion)
+	downgradeEnabled := triggerCancellation == noCancellation && numberOfMembersToDowngrade < clusterSize
+	err = e2e.DowngradeUpgradeMembersByID(t, nil, epc, membersToChange, downgradeEnabled, lastClusterVersion, currentVersion)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	t.Log("Upgrade complete")
 
-	if triggerCancellation == noCancellation && numberOfMembersToDowngrade < clusterSize {
+	if downgradeEnabled {
 		t.Log("Downgrade should be still enabled")
 		e2e.ValidateDowngradeInfo(t, epc, &pb.DowngradeInfo{Enabled: true, TargetVersion: lastClusterVersion.String()})
 	} else {
diff --git a/tests/framework/e2e/cluster.go b/tests/framework/e2e/cluster.go
index 60bd2b595..5af564072 100644
--- a/tests/framework/e2e/cluster.go
+++ b/tests/framework/e2e/cluster.go
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/coreos/go-semver/semver"
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
 	"go.uber.org/zap/zaptest"
 
@@ -711,6 +712,21 @@ func (cfg *EtcdProcessClusterConfig) binaryPath(i int) string {
 	return execPath
 }
 
+func (epc *EtcdProcessCluster) MinServerVersion() (*semver.Version, error) {
+	var minVersion *semver.Version
+	for _, member := range epc.Procs {
+		ver, err := GetVersionFromBinary(member.Config().ExecPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get version from member %s binary: %w", member.Config().Name, err)
+		}
+
+		if minVersion == nil || ver.LessThan(*minVersion) {
+			minVersion = ver
+		}
+	}
+	return minVersion, nil
+}
+
 func values(cfg embed.Config) map[string]string {
 	fs := flag.NewFlagSet("etcd", flag.ContinueOnError)
 	cfg.AddFlags(fs)
diff --git a/tests/framework/e2e/downgrade.go b/tests/framework/e2e/downgrade.go
index 4fcc5834b..1f9e71ec2 100644
--- a/tests/framework/e2e/downgrade.go
+++ b/tests/framework/e2e/downgrade.go
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import (
 
 	pb "go.etcd.io/etcd/api/v3/etcdserverpb"
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/api/v3/version"
+	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/etcdserver"
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/tests/v3/framework/testutils"
 )
 
@@ -127,14 +128,14 @@ func ValidateDowngradeInfo(t *testing.T, clus *EtcdProcessCluster, expected *pb.
 	}
 }
 
-func DowngradeUpgradeMembers(t *testing.T, lg *zap.Logger, clus *EtcdProcessCluster, numberOfMembersToChange int, currentVersion, targetVersion *semver.Version) error {
+func DowngradeUpgradeMembers(t *testing.T, lg *zap.Logger, clus *EtcdProcessCluster, numberOfMembersToChange int, downgradeEnabled bool, currentVersion, targetVersion *semver.Version) error {
 	membersToChange := rand.Perm(len(clus.Procs))[:numberOfMembersToChange]
 	t.Logf("Elect members for operations on members: %v", membersToChange)
 
-	return DowngradeUpgradeMembersByID(t, lg, clus, membersToChange, currentVersion, targetVersion)
+	return DowngradeUpgradeMembersByID(t, lg, clus, membersToChange, downgradeEnabled, currentVersion, targetVersion)
 }
 
-func DowngradeUpgradeMembersByID(t *testing.T, lg *zap.Logger, clus *EtcdProcessCluster, membersToChange []int, currentVersion, targetVersion *semver.Version) error {
+func DowngradeUpgradeMembersByID(t *testing.T, lg *zap.Logger, clus *EtcdProcessCluster, membersToChange []int, downgradeEnabled bool, currentVersion, targetVersion *semver.Version) error {
 	if lg == nil {
 		lg = clus.lg
 	}
@@ -162,15 +163,32 @@ func DowngradeUpgradeMembersByID(t *testing.T, lg *zap.Logger, clus *EtcdProcess
 		}
 	}
 
-	clusterVersion := targetVersion.String()
-	if !isDowngrade && len(membersToChange) != len(clus.Procs) {
-		clusterVersion = currentVersion.String()
-	}
+	t.Log("Waiting health interval to make sure the leader propagates version to new processes")
+	time.Sleep(etcdserver.HealthInterval)
+
 	lg.Info("Validating versions")
+	clusterVersion := targetVersion
+	if !isDowngrade {
+		if downgradeEnabled {
+			// If the downgrade isn't cancelled yet, then the cluster
+			// version will always stay at the lower version, no matter
+			// what's the binary version of each member.
+			clusterVersion = currentVersion
+		} else {
+			// If the downgrade has already been cancelled, then the
+			// cluster version is the minimal server version.
+			minVer, err := clus.MinServerVersion()
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("failed to get min server version: %w", err)
+			}
+			clusterVersion = minVer
+		}
+	}
+
 	for _, memberID := range membersToChange {
 		member := clus.Procs[memberID]
 		ValidateVersion(t, clus.Cfg, member, version.Versions{
-			Cluster: clusterVersion,
+			Cluster: clusterVersion.String(),
 			Server:  targetVersion.String(),
 		})
 	}
diff --git a/tests/robustness/failpoint/cluster.go b/tests/robustness/failpoint/cluster.go
index f5ef5a2a2..eb6190368 100644
--- a/tests/robustness/failpoint/cluster.go
+++ b/tests/robustness/failpoint/cluster.go
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ func (f memberDowngrade) Inject(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, lg *zap.Logge
 	time.Sleep(etcdserver.HealthInterval)
 	e2e.DowngradeEnable(t, clus, lastVersion)
 
-	err = e2e.DowngradeUpgradeMembers(t, lg, clus, numberOfMembersToDowngrade, currentVersion, lastVersion)
+	err = e2e.DowngradeUpgradeMembers(t, lg, clus, numberOfMembersToDowngrade, true, currentVersion, lastVersion)
 	time.Sleep(etcdserver.HealthInterval)
 	return nil, err
 }
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ func (f memberDowngradeUpgrade) Inject(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, lg *za
 
 	e2e.DowngradeEnable(t, clus, lastVersion)
 	// downgrade all members first
-	err = e2e.DowngradeUpgradeMembers(t, lg, clus, len(clus.Procs), currentVersion, lastVersion)
+	err = e2e.DowngradeUpgradeMembers(t, lg, clus, len(clus.Procs), true, currentVersion, lastVersion)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ func (f memberDowngradeUpgrade) Inject(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, lg *za
 
 	// partial upgrade the cluster
 	numberOfMembersToUpgrade := rand.Int()%len(clus.Procs) + 1
-	err = e2e.DowngradeUpgradeMembers(t, lg, clus, numberOfMembersToUpgrade, lastVersion, currentVersion)
+	err = e2e.DowngradeUpgradeMembers(t, lg, clus, numberOfMembersToUpgrade, false, lastVersion, currentVersion)
 	time.Sleep(etcdserver.HealthInterval)
 	return nil, err
 }