diff --git a/src/raster/r.buildvrt.gdal/testsuite/test_r_buildvrt_gdal.py b/src/raster/r.buildvrt.gdal/testsuite/test_r_buildvrt_gdal.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..958e7bb308
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/raster/r.buildvrt.gdal/testsuite/test_r_buildvrt_gdal.py
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+
+"""
+MODULE:    Test of r.buildvrt.gdal
+
+AUTHOR(S): Stefan Blumentrath
+
+PURPOSE:   Test of r.buildvrt.gdal
+
+COPYRIGHT: (C) 2024 by Stefan Blumentrath and the GRASS Development Team
+
+This program is free software under the GNU General Public
+License (>=v2). Read the file COPYING that comes with GRASS
+for details.
+"""
+
+import os
+
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import grass.script as gs
+
+from grass.gunittest.case import TestCase
+from grass.gunittest.main import test
+
+
+class TestBuildGDALVRT(TestCase):
+    """The main test case for the r.buildvrt.gdal module"""
+
+    @classmethod
+    def setUpClass(cls):
+        """Ensures expected computational region (and anything else needed)
+
+        These are things needed by all test function but not modified by
+        any of them.
+        """
+        cls.vrt_univar = """n=1500000
+        null_cells=0
+        cells=1500000
+        min=0.25
+        max=1498750.25
+        range=1498750
+        mean=375000
+        mean_of_abs=375000
+        stddev=330718.777396167
+        variance=109374909722.416
+        coeff_var=88.1916739723113
+        sum=562500000000"""
+
+        # Create external example data
+        regions = {"s": (0, 1000), "n": (500, 1500)}
+        tmp_dir = Path(gs.tempfile(create=False))
+        tmp_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        gs.run_command(
+            "r.external.out",
+            format="GTiff",
+            options="compress=LZW,PREDICTOR=3",
+            directory=str(tmp_dir),
+        )
+        for name, ns_extent in regions.items():
+            gs.run_command(
+                "g.region", n=ns_extent[1], s=ns_extent[0], w=0, e=1000, res=1
+            )
+            gs.mapcalc(f"tmp_vrt_gtiff_{ns_extent[1]}_{ns_extent[0]}=float(x()*y())")
+        # Set region
+        gs.use_temp_region()
+        gs.run_command("g.region", n=1500, s=0, w=0, e=1000, res=1)
+
+    @classmethod
+    def tearDownClass(cls):
+        """Remove the temporary region (and anything else we created)"""
+        gs.del_temp_region()
+        gs.run_command("g.remove", flags="f", type="raster", pattern="tmp_vrt_g*_*")
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        """Remove the output created from the module
+
+        This is executed after each test function run. If we had
+        something to set up before each test function run, we would use setUp()
+        function.
+
+        Since we remove the raster map after running each test function,
+        we can reuse the same name for all the test functions.
+        """
+        gs.run_command("g.remove", flags="f", type="raster", pattern="tmp_vrt_gda*")
+
+    def test_r_buildvrt_gdal_no_flag(self):
+        """Check that the output is created and readable"""
+        # run the import module
+        raster_maps = gs.list_strings(type="raster", pattern="tmp_vrt_gtiff*_*")
+
+        self.assertModule(
+            "r.buildvrt.gdal",
+            verbose=True,
+            input=",".join(raster_maps),
+            output="tmp_vrt_gdal",
+        )
+        vrt_info = """north=1500
+south=0
+east=1000
+west=0
+nsres=1
+ewres=1
+rows=1500
+cols=1000
+cells=1500000
+datatype=FCELL
+ncats=0
+min=0.25
+max=1498750
+map=tmp_vrt_gdal
+maptype=GDAL-link
+title=""
+timestamp="none"
+units="none"
+vdatum="none"
+semantic_label="none"
+"""
+        self.assertRasterFitsUnivar(
+            "tmp_vrt_gdal", reference=self.vrt_univar, precision=2
+        )
+        self.assertRasterFitsInfo("tmp_vrt_gdal", reference=vrt_info, precision=2)
+
+    def test_r_buildvrt_gdal_r_flag(self):
+        """Check that the output is created and readable with r-flag"""
+        # run the import module
+        raster_maps = gs.list_strings(type="raster", pattern="tmp_vrt_gtiff*_*")
+
+        self.assertModule(
+            "r.buildvrt.gdal",
+            flags="r",
+            verbose=True,
+            input=",".join(raster_maps),
+            output="tmp_vrt_gdal_r",
+        )
+        self.assertRasterFitsUnivar(
+            "tmp_vrt_gdal_r", reference=self.vrt_univar, precision=2
+        )
+
+    def test_r_buildvrt_gdal_vrt_dir(self):
+        """Check that the output is created and readable with r-flag"""
+        # run the import module
+        raster_maps = gs.list_strings(type="raster", pattern="tmp_vrt_gtiff*_*")
+        vrt_directory = gs.tempfile(create=False)
+        self.assertModule(
+            "r.buildvrt.gdal",
+            verbose=True,
+            input=",".join(raster_maps),
+            output="tmp_vrt_gdal_dir",
+            vrt_directory=vrt_directory,
+        )
+        self.assertRasterFitsUnivar(
+            "tmp_vrt_gdal_dir", reference=self.vrt_univar, precision=2
+        )
+        self.assertFileExists(vrt_directory + "/tmp_vrt_gdal_dir.vrt")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    test()