diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index 2a3749f..80d0cdd 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+# Default since automake 1.13, necessary for older versions.
+AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = color-tests parallel-tests
+
 TESTS = test_environment.sh \
         test_example.sh \
         test_exec.sh \