diff --git a/target/arm/cpu64.c b/target/arm/cpu64.c
index 34b0ba2cf6f7..a771a28daa56 100644
--- a/target/arm/cpu64.c
+++ b/target/arm/cpu64.c
@@ -493,6 +493,11 @@ static void cpu_arm_set_sve(Object *obj, Visitor *v, const char *name,
         return;
     }
 
+    if (value && kvm_enabled() && !kvm_arm_sve_supported(CPU(cpu))) {
+        error_setg(errp, "'sve' feature not supported by KVM on this host");
+        return;
+    }
+
     t = cpu->isar.id_aa64pfr0;
     t = FIELD_DP64(t, ID_AA64PFR0, SVE, value);
     cpu->isar.id_aa64pfr0 = t;
@@ -507,11 +512,16 @@ static void aarch64_max_initfn(Object *obj)
 {
     ARMCPU *cpu = ARM_CPU(obj);
     uint32_t vq;
+    uint64_t t;
 
     if (kvm_enabled()) {
         kvm_arm_set_cpu_features_from_host(cpu);
+        if (kvm_arm_sve_supported(CPU(cpu))) {
+            t = cpu->isar.id_aa64pfr0;
+            t = FIELD_DP64(t, ID_AA64PFR0, SVE, 1);
+            cpu->isar.id_aa64pfr0 = t;
+        }
     } else {
-        uint64_t t;
         uint32_t u;
         aarch64_a57_initfn(obj);
 
@@ -612,8 +622,6 @@ static void aarch64_max_initfn(Object *obj)
 
         object_property_add(obj, "sve-max-vq", "uint32", cpu_max_get_sve_max_vq,
                             cpu_max_set_sve_max_vq, NULL, NULL, &error_fatal);
-        object_property_add(obj, "sve", "bool", cpu_arm_get_sve,
-                            cpu_arm_set_sve, NULL, NULL, &error_fatal);
 
         for (vq = 1; vq <= ARM_MAX_VQ; ++vq) {
             char name[8];
@@ -622,6 +630,9 @@ static void aarch64_max_initfn(Object *obj)
                                 cpu_arm_set_sve_vq, NULL, NULL, &error_fatal);
         }
     }
+
+    object_property_add(obj, "sve", "bool", cpu_arm_get_sve,
+                        cpu_arm_set_sve, NULL, NULL, &error_fatal);
 }
 
 struct ARMCPUInfo {
diff --git a/target/arm/kvm.c b/target/arm/kvm.c
index b473c63edb1c..f07332bbda30 100644
--- a/target/arm/kvm.c
+++ b/target/arm/kvm.c
@@ -51,6 +51,11 @@ int kvm_arm_vcpu_init(CPUState *cs)
     return kvm_vcpu_ioctl(cs, KVM_ARM_VCPU_INIT, &init);
 }
 
+int kvm_arm_vcpu_finalize(CPUState *cs, int feature)
+{
+    return kvm_vcpu_ioctl(cs, KVM_ARM_VCPU_FINALIZE, &feature);
+}
+
 void kvm_arm_init_serror_injection(CPUState *cs)
 {
     cap_has_inject_serror_esr = kvm_check_extension(cs->kvm_state,
diff --git a/target/arm/kvm64.c b/target/arm/kvm64.c
index 4c0b11d105a4..850da1b5e6aa 100644
--- a/target/arm/kvm64.c
+++ b/target/arm/kvm64.c
@@ -602,6 +602,13 @@ bool kvm_arm_aarch32_supported(CPUState *cpu)
     return kvm_check_extension(s, KVM_CAP_ARM_EL1_32BIT);
 }
 
+bool kvm_arm_sve_supported(CPUState *cpu)
+{
+    KVMState *s = KVM_STATE(current_machine->accelerator);
+
+    return kvm_check_extension(s, KVM_CAP_ARM_SVE);
+}
+
 #define ARM_CPU_ID_MPIDR       3, 0, 0, 0, 5
 
 int kvm_arch_init_vcpu(CPUState *cs)
@@ -630,13 +637,17 @@ int kvm_arch_init_vcpu(CPUState *cs)
         cpu->kvm_init_features[0] |= 1 << KVM_ARM_VCPU_EL1_32BIT;
     }
     if (!kvm_check_extension(cs->kvm_state, KVM_CAP_ARM_PMU_V3)) {
-            cpu->has_pmu = false;
+        cpu->has_pmu = false;
     }
     if (cpu->has_pmu) {
         cpu->kvm_init_features[0] |= 1 << KVM_ARM_VCPU_PMU_V3;
     } else {
         unset_feature(&env->features, ARM_FEATURE_PMU);
     }
+    if (cpu_isar_feature(aa64_sve, cpu)) {
+        assert(kvm_arm_sve_supported(cs));
+        cpu->kvm_init_features[0] |= 1 << KVM_ARM_VCPU_SVE;
+    }
 
     /* Do KVM_ARM_VCPU_INIT ioctl */
     ret = kvm_arm_vcpu_init(cs);
@@ -644,6 +655,13 @@ int kvm_arch_init_vcpu(CPUState *cs)
         return ret;
     }
 
+    if (cpu_isar_feature(aa64_sve, cpu)) {
+        ret = kvm_arm_vcpu_finalize(cs, KVM_ARM_VCPU_SVE);
+        if (ret) {
+            return ret;
+        }
+    }
+
     /*
      * When KVM is in use, PSCI is emulated in-kernel and not by qemu.
      * Currently KVM has its own idea about MPIDR assignment, so we
diff --git a/target/arm/kvm_arm.h b/target/arm/kvm_arm.h
index b4e19457a094..7c12f1501a8b 100644
--- a/target/arm/kvm_arm.h
+++ b/target/arm/kvm_arm.h
@@ -27,6 +27,20 @@
  */
 int kvm_arm_vcpu_init(CPUState *cs);
 
+/**
+ * kvm_arm_vcpu_finalize
+ * @cs: CPUState
+ * @feature: int
+ *
+ * Finalizes the configuration of the specified VCPU feature by
+ * invoking the KVM_ARM_VCPU_FINALIZE ioctl. Features requiring
+ * this are documented in the "KVM_ARM_VCPU_FINALIZE" section of
+ * KVM's API documentation.
+ *
+ * Returns: 0 if success else < 0 error code
+ */
+int kvm_arm_vcpu_finalize(CPUState *cs, int feature);
+
 /**
  * kvm_arm_register_device:
  * @mr: memory region for this device
@@ -225,6 +239,14 @@ bool kvm_arm_aarch32_supported(CPUState *cs);
  */
 bool kvm_arm_pmu_supported(CPUState *cs);
 
+/**
+ * bool kvm_arm_sve_supported:
+ * @cs: CPUState
+ *
+ * Returns true if the KVM VCPU can enable SVE and false otherwise.
+ */
+bool kvm_arm_sve_supported(CPUState *cs);
+
 /**
  * kvm_arm_get_max_vm_ipa_size - Returns the number of bits in the
  * IPA address space supported by KVM
@@ -276,6 +298,11 @@ static inline bool kvm_arm_pmu_supported(CPUState *cs)
     return false;
 }
 
+static inline bool kvm_arm_sve_supported(CPUState *cs)
+{
+    return false;
+}
+
 static inline int kvm_arm_get_max_vm_ipa_size(MachineState *ms)
 {
     return -ENOENT;
diff --git a/tests/arm-cpu-features.c b/tests/arm-cpu-features.c
index 5eecd38f6c60..3efc168d62a4 100644
--- a/tests/arm-cpu-features.c
+++ b/tests/arm-cpu-features.c
@@ -391,12 +391,16 @@ static void test_query_cpu_model_expansion_kvm(const void *data)
         assert_has_feature(qts, "host", "aarch64");
         assert_has_feature(qts, "host", "pmu");
 
+        assert_has_feature(qts, "max", "sve");
+
         assert_error(qts, "cortex-a15",
             "We cannot guarantee the CPU type 'cortex-a15' works "
             "with KVM on this host", NULL);
     } else {
         assert_has_not_feature(qts, "host", "aarch64");
         assert_has_not_feature(qts, "host", "pmu");
+
+        assert_has_not_feature(qts, "max", "sve");
     }
 
     qtest_quit(qts);
