diff --git a/tests/periph_rtc/Makefile b/tests/periph_rtc/Makefile
index a907d722dec5e2f1296232a001c94a5e5ada76a9..b72b0f6a9e726af9370b1bdce6fccf99302444c6 100644
--- a/tests/periph_rtc/Makefile
+++ b/tests/periph_rtc/Makefile
@@ -3,6 +3,6 @@ include ../Makefile.tests_common
 
 FEATURES_REQUIRED = periph_rtc
 
-DISABLE_MODULE += auto_init
+USEMODULE += xtimer
 
 include $(RIOTBASE)/Makefile.include
diff --git a/tests/periph_rtc/main.c b/tests/periph_rtc/main.c
index 7ff24b0899ed5c763dbca4d2fce83782429f94a8..586903954ec62a96ffd73b24b4a4cae38ef2a481 100644
--- a/tests/periph_rtc/main.c
+++ b/tests/periph_rtc/main.c
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 
 #include "periph_conf.h"
 #include "periph/rtc.h"
-#include "hwtimer.h"
+#include "xtimer.h"
 
 #define TM_YEAR_OFFSET              (1900)
 
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ int main(void)
                                                     time.tm_sec);
     rtc_set_time(&time);
 
-    hwtimer_wait(100);
+    xtimer_usleep(100);
 
     rtc_get_time(&time);
     printf("Clock set to %04d-%02d-%02d %02d:%02d:%02d\n",
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ int main(void)
                                                     time.tm_sec);
     rtc_set_alarm(&time, cb, 0);
 
-    hwtimer_wait(100);
+    xtimer_usleep(100);
 
     rtc_get_alarm(&time);
     printf("Alarm set to %04d-%02d-%02d %02d:%02d:%02d\n",