diff --git a/nixos/tests/all-tests.nix b/nixos/tests/all-tests.nix
index 9a059c30563c..74fee9c9055b 100644
--- a/nixos/tests/all-tests.nix
+++ b/nixos/tests/all-tests.nix
@@ -374,6 +374,7 @@ in
   collectd = runTest ./collectd.nix;
   commafeed = runTest ./commafeed.nix;
   connman = runTest ./connman.nix;
+  console = runTest ./console.nix;
   console-xkb-and-i18n = runTest ./console-xkb-and-i18n.nix;
   consul = runTest ./consul.nix;
   consul-template = runTest ./consul-template.nix;
@@ -899,6 +900,7 @@ in
   llama-swap = runTest ./web-servers/llama-swap.nix;
   lldap = runTest ./lldap.nix;
   local-content-share = runTest ./local-content-share.nix;
+  locale = runTest ./locale.nix;
   localsend = runTest ./localsend.nix;
   locate = runTest ./locate.nix;
   login = runTest ./login.nix;
diff --git a/nixos/tests/console.nix b/nixos/tests/console.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6403eb2bbac4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nixos/tests/console.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+{ ... }:
+{
+  name = "console";
+  meta.maintainers = [ ];
+
+  nodes =
+    let
+      # Temporary dirty workaround for nixpkgs/issues/286283
+      # Point directly to pkgs.kbd (real files) rather than /etc/kbd/keymaps
+      # (which goes through consoleEnv's buildEnv and contains only symlinks).
+      # systemd-localed follows the directory symlink but not individual file
+      # symlinks inside it, so buildEnv-based paths yield no usable keymaps.
+      missingKeymapsWorkaround =
+        { pkgs, ... }:
+        {
+          systemd.tmpfiles.rules = [
+            "L /usr/share/keymaps - - - - ${pkgs.kbd}/share/keymaps"
+          ];
+        };
+    in
+    {
+      node_static =
+        { ... }:
+        {
+          imports = [ missingKeymapsWorkaround ];
+          console.keyMap = "lt";
+        };
+
+      node_imperative =
+        { ... }:
+        {
+          imports = [ missingKeymapsWorkaround ];
+          console.keyMap = "lt";
+          i18n.imperativeLocale = true;
+        };
+    };
+
+  testScript =
+    { ... }:
+    ''
+      node_static.wait_for_unit("dbus.socket")
+
+      with subtest("static - declared keymap is reported by localectl"):
+          node_static.succeed("localectl status | grep -q 'VC Keymap: lt'")
+
+      with subtest("static - keymap reverts to declared value after reboot"):
+          # Unlike localectl set-locale, vconsole_write_data() in systemd's
+          # localed-util.c writes to a hardcoded /etc/vconsole.conf path rather
+          # than respecting SYSTEMD_ETC_VCONSOLE_CONF, so the set-keymap call
+          # itself always succeeds. The static guarantee is that NixOS activation
+          # restores the symlink on reboot, reverting any runtime changes.
+          node_static.succeed("localectl set-keymap fr")
+          node_static.succeed("localectl status | grep -q 'VC Keymap: fr'")
+          node_static.shutdown()
+          node_static.wait_for_unit("dbus.socket")
+          node_static.succeed("localectl status | grep -q 'VC Keymap: lt'")
+
+      node_imperative.wait_for_unit("dbus.socket")
+
+      with subtest("imperative - declared keymap is reported by localectl on first boot"):
+          node_imperative.succeed("localectl status | grep -q 'VC Keymap: lt'")
+
+      with subtest("imperative - localectl set-keymap changes the keymap"):
+          node_imperative.succeed("localectl set-keymap --no-convert fr")
+          node_imperative.succeed("localectl status | grep -q 'VC Keymap: fr'")
+
+      with subtest("imperative - keymap change persists across reboot"):
+          node_imperative.shutdown()
+          node_imperative.wait_for_unit("dbus.socket")
+          node_imperative.succeed("localectl status | grep -q 'VC Keymap: fr'")
+    '';
+}
diff --git a/nixos/tests/locale.nix b/nixos/tests/locale.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6c1ef5e3724f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nixos/tests/locale.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+{ ... }:
+{
+  name = "imperative-locale";
+  meta.maintainers = [ ];
+
+  nodes = {
+    node_static =
+      { ... }:
+      {
+        i18n = {
+          defaultLocale = "lt_LT.UTF-8";
+          extraLocales = [ "en_US.UTF-8/UTF-8" ];
+        };
+      };
+
+    node_imperative =
+      { ... }:
+      {
+        i18n = {
+          defaultLocale = "lt_LT.UTF-8";
+          imperativeLocale = true;
+          extraLocales = [ "en_US.UTF-8/UTF-8" ];
+        };
+      };
+  };
+
+  testScript =
+    { ... }:
+    ''
+      node_static.wait_for_unit("dbus.socket")
+
+      with subtest("static - declared locale is reported by localectl"):
+          node_static.succeed("localectl status | grep -q 'System Locale: LANG=lt_LT.UTF-8'")
+
+      with subtest("static - localectl set-locale is blocked"):
+          node_static.fail("localectl set-locale LANG=en_US.UTF-8")
+          node_static.succeed("localectl status | grep -q 'System Locale: LANG=lt_LT.UTF-8'")
+
+      node_imperative.wait_for_unit("dbus.socket")
+
+      with subtest("imperative - declared locale is reported by localectl on first boot"):
+          node_imperative.succeed("localectl status | grep -q 'System Locale: LANG=lt_LT.UTF-8'")
+
+      with subtest("imperative - localectl set-locale changes the locale"):
+          node_imperative.succeed("localectl set-locale LANG=en_US.UTF-8")
+          node_imperative.succeed("localectl status | grep -q 'System Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8'")
+
+      with subtest("imperative - locale change persists across reboot"):
+          node_imperative.shutdown()
+          node_imperative.wait_for_unit("dbus.socket")
+          node_imperative.succeed("localectl status | grep -q 'System Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8'")
+    '';
+}