diff --git a/avocado/plugins/xunit.py b/avocado/plugins/xunit.py
index 58fb77b12310749cf7381ab3aad785093a0a088b..8b03e453b4042e5450b516a608a8b377f990d943 100644
--- a/avocado/plugins/xunit.py
+++ b/avocado/plugins/xunit.py
@@ -47,11 +47,15 @@ class XUnitResult(Result):
     def _get_attr(self, container, attrib):
         return self._escape_attr(container.get(attrib, self.UNKNOWN))
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _format_time(time):
+        return "{:.3f}".format(float(time))
+
     def _create_testcase_element(self, document, state):
         testcase = document.createElement('testcase')
         testcase.setAttribute('classname', self._get_attr(state, 'class_name'))
         testcase.setAttribute('name', self._get_attr(state, 'name'))
-        testcase.setAttribute('time', self._get_attr(state, 'time_elapsed'))
+        testcase.setAttribute('time', self._format_time(self._get_attr(state, 'time_elapsed')))
         return testcase
 
     def _create_failure_or_error(self, document, test, element_type,
@@ -95,7 +99,7 @@ class XUnitResult(Result):
         testsuite.setAttribute('errors', self._escape_attr(result.errors + result.interrupted))
         testsuite.setAttribute('failures', self._escape_attr(result.failed))
         testsuite.setAttribute('skipped', self._escape_attr(result.skipped + result.cancelled))
-        testsuite.setAttribute('time', self._escape_attr(result.tests_total_time))
+        testsuite.setAttribute('time', self._escape_attr(self._format_time(result.tests_total_time)))
         testsuite.setAttribute('timestamp', self._escape_attr(datetime.datetime.now().isoformat()))
         document.appendChild(testsuite)
         for test in result.tests:
diff --git a/selftests/unit/test_xunit.py b/selftests/unit/test_xunit.py
index 89a2a8764cc9799b71babab03609f6f939786e53..c4fd95c1e20e368fd288e6bbe09588a5fefbdb3c 100644
--- a/selftests/unit/test_xunit.py
+++ b/selftests/unit/test_xunit.py
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ class xUnitSucceedTest(unittest.TestCase):
                                     "job-2018-11-28T16.27-8fef221/job.log")
         self.test1 = SimpleTest(job=self.job, base_logdir=self.tmpdir)
         self.test1._Test__status = 'PASS'
-        self.test1.time_elapsed = 1.23
+        self.test1.time_elapsed = 678.23689
 
     def tearDown(self):
         errs = []
@@ -88,8 +88,14 @@ class xUnitSucceedTest(unittest.TestCase):
         except Exception as details:
             raise ParseXMLError("Error parsing XML: '%s'.\nXML Contents:\n%s" % (details, xml))
         self.assertTrue(dom)
+
+        els = dom.getElementsByTagName('testsuite')
+        self.assertEqual(len(els), 1)
+        self.assertEqual(els[0].attributes['time'].value, '678.237')
+
         els = dom.getElementsByTagName('testcase')
         self.assertEqual(len(els), 1)
+        self.assertEqual(els[0].attributes['time'].value, '678.237')
 
         junit_xsd = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__),
                                                  os.path.pardir, ".data",