diff --git a/test/ColourSchemes.cpp b/test/ColourSchemes.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d5ae35eb11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/ColourSchemes.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+#include "RadiantTest.h"
+
+#include "icolourscheme.h"
+#include "math/Vector3.h"
+#include "os/path.h"
+#include "string/convert.h"
+#include "xmlutil/Document.h"
+
+namespace test
+{
+
+class ColourSchemeTest :
+    public RadiantTest
+{};
+
+class ColourSchemeTestWithEmptySettings :
+    public ColourSchemeTest
+{
+public:
+    void SetUp() override
+    {
+        // Kill any colours.xml file present in the settings folder before regular SetUp
+        fs::path coloursFile = _context.getSettingsPath();
+        coloursFile /= "colours.xml";
+        
+        fs::remove(coloursFile);
+
+        RadiantTest::SetUp();
+    }
+};
+
+namespace
+{
+
+std::map<std::string, Vector3> loadSchemeFromXml(const std::string& name, const std::string& xmlPath)
+{
+    xml::Document doc(xmlPath);
+
+    auto schemes = doc.findXPath("//colourscheme[@name='" + name + "']");
+    EXPECT_EQ(schemes.size(), 1) << "Multiple schemes named " << name << " in file " << xmlPath;
+
+    auto schemeColours = doc.findXPath("//colourscheme[@name='" + name + "']//colour");
+    EXPECT_NE(schemeColours.size(), 0) << "Scheme " << name << " is empty";
+
+    std::map<std::string, Vector3> result;
+
+    for (auto colourNode : schemeColours)
+    {
+        result[colourNode.getAttributeValue("name")] = string::convert<Vector3>(colourNode.getAttributeValue("value"));
+    }
+
+    return result;
+}
+
+std::size_t getItemCountInScheme(const colours::IColourScheme& scheme)
+{
+    std::size_t result = 0;
+
+    scheme.foreachColour([&](const std::string&, const colours::IColourItem& item) { ++result; });
+
+    return result;
+}
+
+}
+
+// With an empty settings folder, the default schemes should be loaded
+TEST_F(ColourSchemeTestWithEmptySettings, LoadDefaultSchemes)
+{
+    auto defaultSchemeNames = {
+        "DarkRadiant Default",
+        "QE3Radiant Original",
+        "Black & Green",
+        "Maya/Max/Lightwave Emulation",
+        "Super Mal"
+    };
+
+    // Check the default colours.xml file
+    std::string defaultColoursFile = _context.getRuntimeDataPath() + "colours.xml";
+    EXPECT_TRUE(fs::exists(defaultColoursFile)) << "Could not find factory colours file: " << defaultColoursFile;
+
+    for (auto name : defaultSchemeNames)
+    {
+        EXPECT_TRUE(GlobalColourSchemeManager().schemeExists(name)) << "Scheme " << name << " not found";
+
+        auto defaultScheme = loadSchemeFromXml(name, defaultColoursFile);
+        auto& loadedScheme = GlobalColourSchemeManager().getColourScheme(name);
+
+        // Number of items must match
+        EXPECT_EQ(defaultScheme.size(), getItemCountInScheme(loadedScheme));
+
+        // Each item must match
+        for (const auto& defaultColour : defaultScheme)
+        {
+            EXPECT_EQ(loadedScheme.getColour(defaultColour.first).getColour(), defaultColour.second)
+                << "Scheme " << name << ": colour " << defaultColour.first
+                << " doesn't match the default value " << defaultColour.second;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+}
diff --git a/test/Makefile.am b/test/Makefile.am
index 3624d6e47d..56ea60afc2 100644
--- a/test/Makefile.am
+++ b/test/Makefile.am
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ drtest_SOURCES = math/Matrix4.cpp \
                  math/Plane3.cpp \
                  math/Quaternion.cpp \
                  Camera.cpp \
+                 ColourSchemes.cpp \
                  CSG.cpp \
                  HeadlessOpenGLContext.cpp \
                  FacePlane.cpp \
diff --git a/tools/msvc/Tests/Tests.vcxproj b/tools/msvc/Tests/Tests.vcxproj
index 8f81eb21bc..72f0497fcc 100644
--- a/tools/msvc/Tests/Tests.vcxproj
+++ b/tools/msvc/Tests/Tests.vcxproj
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
     <ClCompile Include="..\..\..\test\Camera.cpp" />
+    <ClCompile Include="..\..\..\test\ColourSchemes.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\..\..\test\CSG.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\..\..\test\Face.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\..\..\test\FacePlane.cpp" />
diff --git a/tools/msvc/Tests/Tests.vcxproj.filters b/tools/msvc/Tests/Tests.vcxproj.filters
index e5786af198..1832eb9c80 100644
--- a/tools/msvc/Tests/Tests.vcxproj.filters
+++ b/tools/msvc/Tests/Tests.vcxproj.filters
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
     <ClCompile Include="..\..\..\test\Face.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\..\..\test\Selection.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\..\..\test\MessageBus.cpp" />
+    <ClCompile Include="..\..\..\test\ColourSchemes.cpp" />
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
     <ClInclude Include="..\..\..\test\HeadlessOpenGLContext.h" />