diff --git a/changes/3917.misc.md b/changes/3917.misc.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..53af79fc5c
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+++ b/changes/3917.misc.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Add tests to verify that the Zarr version attribute (`__version__`) is always present, is a string, and follows the expected format.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/test_version.py b/tests/test_version.py
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+++ b/tests/test_version.py
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+"""Tests for zarr._version module"""
+
+
+def test_version_is_available() -> None:
+    """Test that __version__ is available and is a string."""
+    from zarr import __version__
+
+    assert __version__ is not None
+    assert isinstance(__version__, str)
+    assert len(__version__) > 0
+
+
+def test_version_format() -> None:
+    """Test that version follows basic format."""
+    from zarr import __version__
+
+    assert isinstance(__version__, str)
+    # Basic check: should contain a dot or dash
+    assert "." in __version__ or "-" in __version__
+
+
+def test_version_is_not_unknown_in_normal_case() -> None:
+    from zarr import __version__
+
+    assert __version__ != "unknown"