diff --git a/plugins/dell-dock/fu-dell-dock-i2c-ec.c b/plugins/dell-dock/fu-dell-dock-i2c-ec.c
index 461a68b67..00e8d6baf 100644
--- a/plugins/dell-dock/fu-dell-dock-i2c-ec.c
+++ b/plugins/dell-dock/fu-dell-dock-i2c-ec.c
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ fu_dell_dock_ec_get_dock_info (FuDevice *device,
 			    device_entry[i].version.version_8[2],
 			    device_entry[i].version.version_8[3]);
 			g_debug ("\tParsed version %s", self->ec_version);
-			fu_device_set_version (self, self->ec_version);
+			fu_device_set_version (FU_DEVICE (self), self->ec_version);
 
 		} else if (map->device_type == FU_DELL_DOCK_DEVICETYPE_MST) {
 			self->raw_versions->mst_version = device_entry[i].version.version_32;
diff --git a/src/fu-common-version.c b/src/fu-common-version.c
index bc98c2784..fd8869a27 100644
--- a/src/fu-common-version.c
+++ b/src/fu-common-version.c
@@ -202,6 +202,17 @@ fu_common_vercmp_chunk (const gchar *str1, const gchar *str2)
 	return fu_common_vercmp_char (str1[i], str2[i]);
 }
 
+static gboolean
+_g_ascii_is_digits (const gchar *str)
+{
+	g_return_val_if_fail (str != NULL, FALSE);
+	for (gsize i = 0; str[i] != '\0'; i++) {
+		if (!g_ascii_isdigit (str[i]))
+			return FALSE;
+	}
+	return TRUE;
+}
+
 /**
  * fu_common_version_parse:
  * @version: A version number
@@ -228,7 +239,6 @@ fu_common_version_parse (const gchar *version)
 	gchar *endptr = NULL;
 	guint64 tmp;
 	guint base;
-	guint i;
 
 	/* already dotted decimal */
 	if (g_strstr_len (version, -1, ".") != NULL)
@@ -245,10 +255,8 @@ fu_common_version_parse (const gchar *version)
 		base = 16;
 	} else {
 		/* for non-numeric content, just return the string */
-		for (i = 0; version[i] != '\0'; i++) {
-			if (!g_ascii_isdigit (version[i]))
-				return g_strdup (version);
-		}
+		if (!_g_ascii_is_digits (version))
+			return g_strdup (version);
 		base = 10;
 	}
 
@@ -261,6 +269,56 @@ fu_common_version_parse (const gchar *version)
 	return fu_common_version_from_uint32 ((guint32) tmp, FU_VERSION_FORMAT_TRIPLET);
 }
 
+/**
+ * fu_common_version_guess_format:
+ * @version: A version number, e.g. "1.2.3"
+ *
+ * Guesses the version format from the version number. This is only a heuristic
+ * and plugins and components should explicitly set the version format whenever
+ * possible.
+ *
+ * If the version format cannot be guessed with any degree of accuracy, the
+ * %FU_VERSION_FORMAT_UNKNOWN constant is returned.
+ *
+ * Returns: A #FuVersionFormat, e.g. %FU_VERSION_FORMAT_QUAD
+ *
+ * Since: 1.2.0
+ */
+FuVersionFormat
+fu_common_version_guess_format (const gchar *version)
+{
+	guint sz;
+	g_auto(GStrv) split = NULL;
+
+	/* nothing to use */
+	if (version == NULL || version[0] == '\0')
+		return FU_VERSION_FORMAT_UNKNOWN;
+
+	/* no dots, assume just text */
+	split = g_strsplit (version, ".", -1);
+	sz = g_strv_length (split);
+	if (sz == 1)
+		return FU_VERSION_FORMAT_PLAIN;
+
+	/* check for only-digit semver version */
+	for (guint i = 0; split[i] != NULL; i++) {
+		/* check sections are plain numbers */
+		if (!_g_ascii_is_digits (split[i]))
+			return FU_VERSION_FORMAT_UNKNOWN;
+	}
+
+	/* the most common formats */
+	if (sz == 2)
+		return FU_VERSION_FORMAT_PAIR;
+	if (sz == 3)
+		return FU_VERSION_FORMAT_TRIPLET;
+	if (sz == 4)
+		return FU_VERSION_FORMAT_QUAD;
+
+	/* unknown! */
+	return FU_VERSION_FORMAT_UNKNOWN;
+}
+
 /**
  * fu_common_vercmp:
  * @version_a: the release version, e.g. 1.2.3
diff --git a/src/fu-common-version.h b/src/fu-common-version.h
index 8bcbcd059..3538316b9 100644
--- a/src/fu-common-version.h
+++ b/src/fu-common-version.h
@@ -45,5 +45,6 @@ gchar		*fu_common_version_from_uint32	(guint32	 val,
 gchar		*fu_common_version_from_uint16	(guint16	 val,
 						 FuVersionFormat flags);
 gchar		*fu_common_version_parse	(const gchar	*version);
+FuVersionFormat	 fu_common_version_guess_format	(const gchar	*version);
 
 #endif /* __FU_COMMON_VERSION_H__ */
diff --git a/src/fu-device.c b/src/fu-device.c
index e998fdf95..3fd374213 100644
--- a/src/fu-device.c
+++ b/src/fu-device.c
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 
 #include "fu-common.h"
 #include "fu-common-guid.h"
+#include "fu-common-version.h"
 #include "fu-device-private.h"
 #include "fu-mutex.h"
 
@@ -1046,6 +1047,29 @@ fu_device_set_id (FuDevice *self, const gchar *id)
 	fwupd_device_set_id (FWUPD_DEVICE (self), id_hash);
 }
 
+/**
+ * fu_device_set_version:
+ * @self: A #FuDevice
+ * @version: a string, e.g. `1.2.3`
+ *
+ * Sets the device version, autodetecting the version format if required.
+ *
+ * Since: 1.2.1
+ **/
+void
+fu_device_set_version (FuDevice *self, const gchar *version)
+{
+	FuDevicePrivate *priv = GET_PRIVATE (self);
+
+	g_return_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self));
+	g_return_if_fail (version != NULL);
+
+	/* try to autodetect the version-format */
+	if (priv->version_format == FU_VERSION_FORMAT_UNKNOWN)
+		priv->version_format = fu_common_version_guess_format (version);
+	fwupd_device_set_version (FWUPD_DEVICE (self), version);
+}
+
 /**
  * fu_device_ensure_id:
  * @self: A #FuDevice
diff --git a/src/fu-device.h b/src/fu-device.h
index 1b80db894..9fe7b018e 100644
--- a/src/fu-device.h
+++ b/src/fu-device.h
@@ -94,7 +94,6 @@ FuDevice	*fu_device_new				(void);
 #define fu_device_set_update_state(d,v)		fwupd_device_set_update_state(FWUPD_DEVICE(d),v)
 #define fu_device_set_vendor(d,v)		fwupd_device_set_vendor(FWUPD_DEVICE(d),v)
 #define fu_device_set_vendor_id(d,v)		fwupd_device_set_vendor_id(FWUPD_DEVICE(d),v)
-#define fu_device_set_version(d,v)		fwupd_device_set_version(FWUPD_DEVICE(d),v)
 #define fu_device_set_version_lowest(d,v)	fwupd_device_set_version_lowest(FWUPD_DEVICE(d),v)
 #define fu_device_set_version_bootloader(d,v)	fwupd_device_set_version_bootloader(FWUPD_DEVICE(d),v)
 #define fu_device_set_flashes_left(d,v)		fwupd_device_set_flashes_left(FWUPD_DEVICE(d),v)
@@ -158,6 +157,8 @@ void		 fu_device_set_metadata_integer		(FuDevice	*self,
 							 guint		 value);
 void		 fu_device_set_id			(FuDevice	*self,
 							 const gchar	*id);
+void		 fu_device_set_version			(FuDevice	*self,
+							 const gchar	*version);
 const gchar	*fu_device_get_physical_id		(FuDevice	*self);
 void		 fu_device_set_physical_id		(FuDevice	*self,
 							 const gchar	*physical_id);
diff --git a/src/fu-self-test.c b/src/fu-self-test.c
index c6f6c2179..75b21eb57 100644
--- a/src/fu-self-test.c
+++ b/src/fu-self-test.c
@@ -52,6 +52,20 @@ fu_self_test_mkroot (void)
 	g_assert_cmpint (g_mkdir_with_parents ("/tmp/fwupd-self-test/var/lib/fwupd", 0755), ==, 0);
 }
 
+static void
+fu_common_version_guess_format_func (void)
+{
+	g_assert_cmpint (fu_common_version_guess_format (NULL), ==, FU_VERSION_FORMAT_UNKNOWN);
+	g_assert_cmpint (fu_common_version_guess_format (""), ==, FU_VERSION_FORMAT_UNKNOWN);
+	g_assert_cmpint (fu_common_version_guess_format ("1234ac"), ==, FU_VERSION_FORMAT_PLAIN);
+	g_assert_cmpint (fu_common_version_guess_format ("1.2"), ==, FU_VERSION_FORMAT_PAIR);
+	g_assert_cmpint (fu_common_version_guess_format ("1.2.3"), ==, FU_VERSION_FORMAT_TRIPLET);
+	g_assert_cmpint (fu_common_version_guess_format ("1.2.3.4"), ==, FU_VERSION_FORMAT_QUAD);
+	g_assert_cmpint (fu_common_version_guess_format ("1.2.3.4.5"), ==, FU_VERSION_FORMAT_UNKNOWN);
+	g_assert_cmpint (fu_common_version_guess_format ("1a.2b.3"), ==, FU_VERSION_FORMAT_UNKNOWN);
+	g_assert_cmpint (fu_common_version_guess_format ("1"), ==, FU_VERSION_FORMAT_PLAIN);
+}
+
 static void
 fu_engine_requirements_missing_func (void)
 {
@@ -857,7 +871,8 @@ fu_engine_history_func (void)
 		"  [Release]\n"
 		"  Version:              1.2.3\n"
 		"  Checksum:             SHA1(%s)\n"
-		"  TrustFlags:           none\n",
+		"  TrustFlags:           none\n"
+		"  VersionFormat:        triplet\n",
 		checksum);
 	ret = fu_test_compare_lines (device_str, device_str_expected, &error);
 	g_assert_no_error (error);
@@ -986,7 +1001,8 @@ fu_engine_history_error_func (void)
 		"  [Release]\n"
 		"  Version:              1.2.3\n"
 		"  Checksum:             SHA1(%s)\n"
-		"  TrustFlags:           none\n",
+		"  TrustFlags:           none\n"
+		"  VersionFormat:        triplet\n",
 		checksum);
 	ret = fu_test_compare_lines (device_str, device_str_expected, &error);
 	g_assert_no_error (error);
@@ -3214,6 +3230,7 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
 	g_test_add_func ("/fwupd/keyring{gpg}", fu_keyring_gpg_func);
 	g_test_add_func ("/fwupd/keyring{pkcs7}", fu_keyring_pkcs7_func);
 	g_test_add_func ("/fwupd/chunk", fu_chunk_func);
+	g_test_add_func ("/fwupd/common{version-guess-format}", fu_common_version_guess_format_func);
 	g_test_add_func ("/fwupd/common{guid}", fu_common_guid_func);
 	g_test_add_func ("/fwupd/common{version}", fu_common_version_func);
 	g_test_add_func ("/fwupd/common{vercmp}", fu_common_vercmp_func);