diff --git a/tempest/api/compute/flavors/test_flavors_negative.py b/tempest/api/compute/flavors/test_flavors_negative.py
index 09f54b5859..efd9cdd8a8 100644
--- a/tempest/api/compute/flavors/test_flavors_negative.py
+++ b/tempest/api/compute/flavors/test_flavors_negative.py
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ class FlavorsV2NegativeTest(base.BaseV2ComputeTest):
             'name': data_utils.rand_name(
                 prefix=CONF.resource_name_prefix, name='image'),
             'container_format': CONF.image.container_formats[0],
-            'disk_format': CONF.image.disk_formats[0],
+            'disk_format': 'raw',
             'min_ram': min_img_ram,
             'visibility': 'private'
         }
diff --git a/tempest/api/image/v2/admin/test_images.py b/tempest/api/image/v2/admin/test_images.py
index 2b1c4fb250..2c2e9a8f05 100644
--- a/tempest/api/image/v2/admin/test_images.py
+++ b/tempest/api/image/v2/admin/test_images.py
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ class ImportCopyImagesTest(base.BaseV2ImageAdminTest):
         image_name = data_utils.rand_name(
             prefix=CONF.resource_name_prefix, name='copy-image')
         container_format = CONF.image.container_formats[0]
-        disk_format = CONF.image.disk_formats[0]
+        disk_format = 'raw'
         image = self.create_image(name=image_name,
                                   container_format=container_format,
                                   disk_format=disk_format,
diff --git a/tempest/api/image/v2/test_images.py b/tempest/api/image/v2/test_images.py
index 5bb8eef062..f6ca3175ec 100644
--- a/tempest/api/image/v2/test_images.py
+++ b/tempest/api/image/v2/test_images.py
@@ -56,7 +56,14 @@ class ImportImagesTest(base.BaseV2ImageTest):
         image_name = data_utils.rand_name(
             prefix=CONF.resource_name_prefix, name='image')
         container_format = container_format or CONF.image.container_formats[0]
-        disk_format = disk_format or CONF.image.disk_formats[0]
+        disk_format = disk_format or 'raw'
+        if disk_format not in CONF.image.disk_formats:
+            # If the test asked for some disk format that is not available,
+            # consider that a programming error. Tests with specific
+            # requirements should be checking to see if it is available and
+            # skipping themselves instead of this helper doing it.
+            raise RuntimeError('Test requires unavailable disk_format %s, '
+                               'but did not skip' % disk_format)
         image = self.create_image(name=image_name,
                                   container_format=container_format,
                                   disk_format=disk_format,
@@ -390,7 +397,7 @@ class BasicOperationsImagesTest(base.BaseV2ImageTest):
         image_name = data_utils.rand_name(
             prefix=CONF.resource_name_prefix, name='image')
         container_format = CONF.image.container_formats[0]
-        disk_format = CONF.image.disk_formats[0]
+        disk_format = 'raw'
         image = self.create_image(name=image_name,
                                   container_format=container_format,
                                   disk_format=disk_format,
@@ -754,7 +761,7 @@ class ListSharedImagesTest(base.BaseV2ImageTest):
         # Create an image to be shared using default visibility
         image_file = io.BytesIO(data_utils.random_bytes(2048))
         container_format = CONF.image.container_formats[0]
-        disk_format = CONF.image.disk_formats[0]
+        disk_format = 'raw'
         image = self.create_image(container_format=container_format,
                                   disk_format=disk_format)
         self.client.store_image_file(image['id'], data=image_file)
diff --git a/tempest/api/volume/test_volumes_negative.py b/tempest/api/volume/test_volumes_negative.py
index d8480df16d..754b6767b5 100644
--- a/tempest/api/volume/test_volumes_negative.py
+++ b/tempest/api/volume/test_volumes_negative.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ class VolumesNegativeTest(base.BaseVolumeTest):
         image = self.images_client.create_image(
             name=image_name,
             container_format=CONF.image.container_formats[0],
-            disk_format=CONF.image.disk_formats[0],
+            disk_format='raw',
             visibility='private',
             min_disk=CONF.volume.volume_size + CONF.volume.volume_size_extend)
         self.addCleanup(test_utils.call_and_ignore_notfound_exc,