diff --git a/controllers/nodenetworkconfigurationpolicy_controller.go b/controllers/nodenetworkconfigurationpolicy_controller.go
index 1361069bc7..13ef4b8816 100644
--- a/controllers/nodenetworkconfigurationpolicy_controller.go
+++ b/controllers/nodenetworkconfigurationpolicy_controller.go
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ import (
 	enactmentconditions "github.com/nmstate/kubernetes-nmstate/pkg/enactmentstatus/conditions"
 	"github.com/nmstate/kubernetes-nmstate/pkg/environment"
 	nmstate "github.com/nmstate/kubernetes-nmstate/pkg/helper"
-	"github.com/nmstate/kubernetes-nmstate/pkg/node"
 	"github.com/nmstate/kubernetes-nmstate/pkg/policyconditions"
 	"github.com/nmstate/kubernetes-nmstate/pkg/selectors"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
@@ -160,16 +159,12 @@ func (r *NodeNetworkConfigurationPolicyReconciler) initializeEnactment(policy nm
 	})
 }
 
-func (r *NodeNetworkConfigurationPolicyReconciler) maxUnavailableNodeCount(policy *nmstatev1beta1.NodeNetworkConfigurationPolicy) (int, error) {
-	nmstateNodes, err := node.NodesRunningNmstate(r.Client)
-	if err != nil {
-		return 0, err
-	}
+func (r *NodeNetworkConfigurationPolicyReconciler) maxUnavailableNodeCount(policy *nmstatev1beta1.NodeNetworkConfigurationPolicy, matchingNodes int) (int, error) {
 	intOrPercent := intstr.FromString(DEFAULT_MAXUNAVAILABLE)
 	if policy.Spec.MaxUnavailable != nil {
 		intOrPercent = *policy.Spec.MaxUnavailable
 	}
-	maxUnavailable, err := intstr.GetScaledValueFromIntOrPercent(&intOrPercent, len(nmstateNodes), true)
+	maxUnavailable, err := intstr.GetScaledValueFromIntOrPercent(&intOrPercent, matchingNodes, true)
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0, err
 	}
@@ -190,13 +185,13 @@ func (r *NodeNetworkConfigurationPolicyReconciler) enactmentsCountByPolicy(polic
 	return enactmentCount, nil
 }
 
-func (r *NodeNetworkConfigurationPolicyReconciler) incrementUnavailableNodeCount(policy *nmstatev1beta1.NodeNetworkConfigurationPolicy) error {
+func (r *NodeNetworkConfigurationPolicyReconciler) incrementUnavailableNodeCount(policy *nmstatev1beta1.NodeNetworkConfigurationPolicy, matchingNodes int) error {
 	policyKey := types.NamespacedName{Name: policy.GetName(), Namespace: policy.GetNamespace()}
 	err := r.Client.Get(context.TODO(), policyKey, policy)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	maxUnavailable, err := r.maxUnavailableNodeCount(policy)
+	maxUnavailable, err := r.maxUnavailableNodeCount(policy, matchingNodes)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -294,7 +289,7 @@ func (r *NodeNetworkConfigurationPolicyReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context
 		return ctrl.Result{}, nil
 	}
 
-	err = r.incrementUnavailableNodeCount(instance)
+	err = r.incrementUnavailableNodeCount(instance, enactmentCount.Matching())
 	if err != nil {
 		if apierrors.IsConflict(err) {
 			return ctrl.Result{RequeueAfter: nodeRunningUpdateRetryTime}, err
diff --git a/test/e2e/handler/nncp_parallel_test.go b/test/e2e/handler/nncp_parallel_test.go
index 220dd760d3..65eb534111 100644
--- a/test/e2e/handler/nncp_parallel_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/handler/nncp_parallel_test.go
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ func enactmentsInProgress(policy string) int {
 
 var _ = Describe("NNCP with maxUnavailable", func() {
 	Context("when applying a policy to matching nodes", func() {
+		duration := 10 * time.Second
+		interval := 1 * time.Second
 		BeforeEach(func() {
 			By("Create a policy")
 			updateDesiredState(linuxBrUp(bridge1))
@@ -41,15 +43,13 @@ var _ = Describe("NNCP with maxUnavailable", func() {
 		It("[parallel] should be progressing on multiple nodes", func() {
 			Eventually(func() int {
 				return enactmentsInProgress(TestPolicy)
-			}).Should(BeNumerically("==", maxUnavailable))
+			}, duration, interval).Should(BeNumerically("==", maxUnavailableNodeCount()))
 			waitForAvailablePolicy(TestPolicy)
 		})
 		It("[parallel] should never exceed maxUnavailable nodes", func() {
-			duration := 10 * time.Second
-			interval := 1 * time.Second
 			Consistently(func() int {
 				return enactmentsInProgress(TestPolicy)
-			}, duration, interval).Should(BeNumerically("<=", maxUnavailable))
+			}, duration, interval).Should(BeNumerically("<=", maxUnavailableNodeCount()))
 			waitForAvailablePolicy(TestPolicy)
 		})
 	})
diff --git a/test/e2e/handler/upgrade_test.go b/test/e2e/handler/upgrade_test.go
index 3978adab68..b54d058aa9 100644
--- a/test/e2e/handler/upgrade_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/handler/upgrade_test.go
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import (
 var _ = Describe("NodeNetworkConfigurationPolicy upgrade", func() {
 	Context("when v1alpha1 is populated", func() {
 		BeforeEach(func() {
-			maxUnavailableIntOrString := intstr.FromInt(maxUnavailable)
+			maxUnavailableIntOrString := intstr.FromString(maxUnavailable)
 			policy := nmstatev1alpha1.NodeNetworkConfigurationPolicy{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
 					Name: TestPolicy,
diff --git a/test/e2e/handler/utils.go b/test/e2e/handler/utils.go
index c430a21916..f6e3b964c1 100644
--- a/test/e2e/handler/utils.go
+++ b/test/e2e/handler/utils.go
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ const TestPolicy = "test-policy"
 var (
 	bridgeCounter  = 0
 	bondConunter   = 0
-	maxUnavailable = environment.GetIntVarWithDefault("NMSTATE_MAX_UNAVAILABLE", 1)
+	maxUnavailable = environment.GetVarWithDefault("NMSTATE_MAX_UNAVAILABLE", "50%")
 )
 
 func interfacesName(interfaces []interface{}) []string {
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ func setDesiredStateWithPolicyAndNodeSelector(name string, desiredState nmstate.
 	err := testenv.Client.Get(context.TODO(), key, &policy)
 	policy.Spec.DesiredState = desiredState
 	policy.Spec.NodeSelector = nodeSelector
-	maxUnavailableIntOrString := intstr.FromInt(maxUnavailable)
+	maxUnavailableIntOrString := intstr.FromString(maxUnavailable)
 	policy.Spec.MaxUnavailable = &maxUnavailableIntOrString
 	if err != nil {
 		if apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
@@ -539,3 +539,15 @@ func skipIfNotKubernetes() {
 		Skip("Tutorials use interface naming that is available only on Kubernetes providers")
 	}
 }
+
+func maxUnavailableNodeCount() int {
+	intOrPercent := intstr.FromString(maxUnavailable)
+	maxUnavailableScaled, err := intstr.GetScaledValueFromIntOrPercent(&intOrPercent, len(nodes), true)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0
+	}
+	if maxUnavailableScaled < 1 {
+		maxUnavailableScaled = 1
+	}
+	return maxUnavailableScaled
+}
diff --git a/test/environment/environment.go b/test/environment/environment.go
index c743090f12..3537a54cb2 100644
--- a/test/environment/environment.go
+++ b/test/environment/environment.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package environment
 
 import (
 	"os"
-	"strconv"
 )
 
 func GetVarWithDefault(name string, defaultValue string) string {
@@ -12,12 +11,3 @@ func GetVarWithDefault(name string, defaultValue string) string {
 	}
 	return value
 }
-
-func GetIntVarWithDefault(name string, defaultValue int) int {
-	value := os.Getenv(name)
-	intValue, err := strconv.Atoi(value)
-	if err != nil {
-		intValue = defaultValue
-	}
-	return intValue
-}