diff --git a/tests/leds/Makefile b/tests/leds/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1bccb9df11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/leds/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+export APPLICATION = leds
+include ../Makefile.tests_common
+
+USEMODULE += xtimer
+
+include $(RIOTBASE)/Makefile.include
diff --git a/tests/leds/README.md b/tests/leds/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a03c6386f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/leds/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+Expected result
+===============
+The 'red' and the 'green' LEDs of the board should light up alternating with a
+500ms interval. If your board has only one LED (probably defined as LED_RED),
+you will see only this LED blink at 1Hz. If your board has no on-board LED, you
+will see nothing.
+
+Background
+==========
+All boards in RIOT define at least two macros for accessing two selected
+on-board LEDs directly. These are called LED_RED and LED_GREEN, independent if
+the actual color of those LED is red or green.
diff --git a/tests/leds/main.c b/tests/leds/main.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..42669c956c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/leds/main.c
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2016 Freie Universität Berlin
+ *
+ * This file is subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU Lesser General
+ * Public License v2.1. See the file LICENSE in the top level directory for more
+ * details.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * @ingroup     tests
+ * @{
+ *
+ * @file
+ * @brief       Test for the on-board LED macros
+ *
+ * @author      Hauke Petersen <hauke.petersen@fu-berlin.de>
+ *
+ * @}
+ */
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+#include "board.h"
+#include "xtimer.h"
+
+#define WAIT_INTERVAL       (500 * MS_IN_USEC)
+
+int main(void)
+{
+    puts("On-board LED test\n");
+    puts("You should now see the 'red' and the 'green' LED lighting up in a\n"
+         "500ms interval, alternating of each other.");
+
+    /* turn off all LEDs */
+    LED_RED_OFF;
+    LED_GREEN_OFF;
+
+    while (1) {
+        LED_RED_ON;
+        puts("LED_RED_ON");
+        xtimer_usleep(WAIT_INTERVAL);
+        LED_RED_OFF;
+        LED_GREEN_ON;
+        puts("LED_GREEN_ON");
+        xtimer_usleep(WAIT_INTERVAL);
+        LED_GREEN_OFF;
+
+        LED_RED_TOGGLE;
+        puts("LED_RED_TOGGLE");
+        xtimer_usleep(WAIT_INTERVAL);
+        LED_RED_TOGGLE;
+        LED_GREEN_TOGGLE;
+        puts("LED_GREEN_TOGGLE");
+        xtimer_usleep(WAIT_INTERVAL);
+        LED_GREEN_TOGGLE;
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}