diff --git a/test/helpers/kubectl.go b/test/helpers/kubectl.go
index cbd73171dcac..a439c4975ae8 100644
--- a/test/helpers/kubectl.go
+++ b/test/helpers/kubectl.go
@@ -1561,22 +1561,36 @@ func (kub *Kubectl) CiliumInstall(filename string, options map[string]string) er
 	return nil
 }
 
+// ApplyHelm runs the helm command with the given options.
+func (kub *Kubectl) ApplyHelm(repo, helmName, version, namespace string, options map[string]string) (*CmdRes, error) {
+	dir, _ := filepath.Split(repo)
+	kub.RunHelm("fetch", repo, "", version, "", map[string]string{}, fmt.Sprintf("--untar --untardir=%s", dir))
+	return kub.RunHelm("template", repo, helmName, "", namespace, options, fmt.Sprintf("| kubectl --namespace=%s apply -f -", namespace))
+}
+
 // RunHelm runs the helm command with the given options.
-func (kub *Kubectl) RunHelm(action, repo, helmName, version, namespace string, options map[string]string) (*CmdRes, error) {
+func (kub *Kubectl) RunHelm(action, repo, helmName, version, namespace string, options map[string]string, pipe string) (*CmdRes, error) {
 	err := kub.overwriteHelmOptions(options)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	optionsString := ""
 
+	if helmName != "" {
+		optionsString += fmt.Sprintf(" --name=%s ", helmName)
+	}
+	if version != "" {
+		optionsString += fmt.Sprintf(" --version=%s ", version)
+	}
+	if namespace != "" {
+		optionsString += fmt.Sprintf(" --namespace=%s ", namespace)
+	}
 	for k, v := range options {
 		optionsString += fmt.Sprintf(" --set %s=%s ", k, v)
 	}
-
-	return kub.ExecMiddle(fmt.Sprintf("helm %s %s %s "+
-		"--version=%s "+
-		"--namespace=%s "+
-		"%s", action, helmName, repo, version, namespace, optionsString)), nil
+	cmdStr := fmt.Sprintf("helm %s %s %s %s", action, repo, optionsString, pipe)
+	kub.Executor.Logger().Warningf("Executing command: %s", cmdStr)
+	return kub.ExecMiddle(fmt.Sprintf("helm %s %s %s %s", action, repo, optionsString, pipe)), nil
 }
 
 // CiliumUninstall uninstalls Cilium with the provided Helm options.
diff --git a/test/k8sT/Updates.go b/test/k8sT/Updates.go
index 04b462d78bfb..459c4d2acdb4 100644
--- a/test/k8sT/Updates.go
+++ b/test/k8sT/Updates.go
@@ -140,7 +140,6 @@ func InstallAndValidateCiliumUpgrades(kubectl *helpers.Kubectl, oldHelmChartVers
 	app1Service := "app1-service"
 
 	cleanupCiliumState := func(helmPath, chartVersion, imageName, imageTag, registry string) {
-		_ = kubectl.ExecMiddle("helm delete cilium --namespace=" + helpers.CiliumNamespace)
 		_ = kubectl.ExecMiddle(fmt.Sprintf("kubectl delete configmap --namespace=%s cilium-config", helpers.CiliumNamespace))
 		_ = kubectl.ExecMiddle(fmt.Sprintf("kubectl delete serviceaccount --namespace=%s cilium cilium-operator", helpers.CiliumNamespace))
 		_ = kubectl.ExecMiddle("kubectl delete clusterrole cilium cilium-operator cilium-psp cilium-operator-psp")
@@ -161,8 +160,7 @@ func InstallAndValidateCiliumUpgrades(kubectl *helpers.Kubectl, oldHelmChartVers
 		if imageName != "" {
 			opts["agent.image"] = imageName
 		}
-		cmd, err := kubectl.RunHelm(
-			"install",
+		cmd, err := kubectl.ApplyHelm(
 			helmPath,
 			"cilium",
 			chartVersion,
@@ -175,7 +173,7 @@ func InstallAndValidateCiliumUpgrades(kubectl *helpers.Kubectl, oldHelmChartVers
 		ExpectWithOffset(1, err).To(BeNil(), "Cilium %q was not able to be deployed", chartVersion)
 		err = kubectl.WaitForCiliumInitContainerToFinish()
 		ExpectWithOffset(1, err).To(BeNil(), "Cilium %q was not able to be clean up environment", chartVersion)
-		cmd = kubectl.ExecMiddle("helm delete cilium --namespace=" + helpers.CiliumNamespace)
+		cmd = kubectl.ExecMiddle(fmt.Sprintf("kubectl delete daemonset --namespace=%s cilium", helpers.CiliumNamespace))
 		ExpectWithOffset(1, cmd).To(helpers.CMDSuccess(), "Cilium %q was not able to be deleted", chartVersion)
 		ExpectAllPodsTerminated(kubectl)
 	}
@@ -225,8 +223,7 @@ func InstallAndValidateCiliumUpgrades(kubectl *helpers.Kubectl, oldHelmChartVers
 		cleanupCiliumState("cilium/cilium", oldHelmChartVersion, "cilium", oldImageVersion, "docker.io/cilium")
 
 		By("Deploying Cilium %s", oldHelmChartVersion)
-		cmd, err = kubectl.RunHelm(
-			"install",
+		cmd, err = kubectl.ApplyHelm(
 			"cilium/cilium",
 			"cilium",
 			oldHelmChartVersion,
@@ -373,8 +370,7 @@ func InstallAndValidateCiliumUpgrades(kubectl *helpers.Kubectl, oldHelmChartVers
 		}
 
 		By("Install Cilium pre-flight check DaemonSet")
-		cmd, err = kubectl.RunHelm(
-			"install",
+		cmd, err = kubectl.ApplyHelm(
 			filepath.Join(kubectl.BasePath(), helpers.HelmTemplate),
 			"cilium-preflight",
 			newHelmChartVersion,
@@ -384,6 +380,7 @@ func InstallAndValidateCiliumUpgrades(kubectl *helpers.Kubectl, oldHelmChartVers
 				"agent.enabled":     "false ",
 				"config.enabled":    "false ",
 				"operator.enabled":  "false ",
+				"preflight.image":   "cilium-dev",
 				"global.tag":        newImageVersion,
 			},
 		)
@@ -393,7 +390,7 @@ func InstallAndValidateCiliumUpgrades(kubectl *helpers.Kubectl, oldHelmChartVers
 
 		// Once they are installed we can remove it
 		By("Removing Cilium pre-flight check DaemonSet")
-		cmd = kubectl.ExecMiddle("helm delete cilium-preflight --namespace=" + helpers.CiliumNamespace)
+		cmd = kubectl.ExecMiddle(fmt.Sprintf("kubectl delete daemonset --namespace=%s cilium-pre-flight-check", helpers.CiliumNamespace))
 		ExpectWithOffset(1, cmd).To(helpers.CMDSuccess(), "Unable to delete preflight")
 
 		err = kubectl.WaitforPods(helpers.CiliumNamespace, "-l k8s-app=cilium", timeout)
@@ -410,8 +407,7 @@ func InstallAndValidateCiliumUpgrades(kubectl *helpers.Kubectl, oldHelmChartVers
 		if oldHelmChartVersion == "1.6-dev" {
 			opts["agent.keepDeprecatedLabels"] = "true"
 		}
-		cmd, err = kubectl.RunHelm(
-			"upgrade",
+		cmd, err = kubectl.ApplyHelm(
 			filepath.Join(kubectl.BasePath(), helpers.HelmTemplate),
 			"cilium",
 			newHelmChartVersion,
@@ -439,9 +435,18 @@ func InstallAndValidateCiliumUpgrades(kubectl *helpers.Kubectl, oldHelmChartVers
 		checkNoInteruptsInSVCFlows()
 
 		By("Downgrading cilium to %s image", oldHelmChartVersion)
-		// rollback cilium 1 because it's the version that we have started
-		// cilium with in this updates test.
-		cmd = kubectl.ExecMiddle("helm rollback cilium 1 --namespace=" + helpers.CiliumNamespace)
+		cmd, err = kubectl.ApplyHelm(
+			"cilium/cilium",
+			"cilium",
+			oldHelmChartVersion,
+			helpers.CiliumNamespace,
+			map[string]string{
+				"global.tag":      oldImageVersion,
+				"global.registry": "docker.io/cilium",
+				"agent.image":     "cilium",
+			},
+		)
+		ExpectWithOffset(1, err).To(BeNil(), "Cilium %q was not able to be deployed", oldHelmChartVersion)
 		ExpectWithOffset(1, cmd).To(helpers.CMDSuccess(), "Cilium %q was not able to be deployed", oldHelmChartVersion)
 
 		err = helpers.WithTimeout(
diff --git a/test/provision/k8s_install.sh b/test/provision/k8s_install.sh
index 2ded35fbfe34..038084410fdc 100755
--- a/test/provision/k8s_install.sh
+++ b/test/provision/k8s_install.sh
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ if [[ ! $(helm version | grep ${HELM_VERSION}) ]]; then
   tar xzvf helm-v${HELM_VERSION}-linux-amd64.tar.gz
   mv linux-amd64/helm /usr/local/bin/
 fi
+su - vagrant -c 'helm init --client-only'
 
 # Install serial ttyS0 server
 cat <<EOF > /etc/systemd/system/serial-getty@ttyS0.service