diff --git a/src/default_versions.ts b/src/default_versions.ts
index ee6c1502..2145c859 100644
--- a/src/default_versions.ts
+++ b/src/default_versions.ts
@@ -63,6 +63,13 @@ const DefaultUbuntuVersion: Record<string, Record<number, string>> = {
     16: "legacy",
     14: "legacy",
   },
+  kcov: {
+    22: "40",
+    20: "40-binary", // https://github.com/SimonKagstrom/kcov/releases
+    18: "40",
+    16: "40",
+    14: "40",
+  },
 }
 
 /** Get the default version if passed true or undefined, otherwise return the version itself */
diff --git a/src/kcov/kcov.ts b/src/kcov/kcov.ts
index aaab3b40..849a5baf 100644
--- a/src/kcov/kcov.ts
+++ b/src/kcov/kcov.ts
@@ -9,34 +9,31 @@ import { addBinExtension } from "../utils/extension/extension"
 import { extractTarByExe } from "../utils/setup/extract"
 import { setupAptPack } from "../utils/setup/setupAptPack"
 import { setupPacmanPack } from "../utils/setup/setupPacmanPack"
-import { PackageInfo, setupBin } from "../utils/setup/setupBin"
+import { InstallationInfo, PackageInfo, setupBin } from "../utils/setup/setupBin"
 import { isArch } from "../utils/env/isArch"
 import { hasDnf } from "../utils/env/hasDnf"
 import { setupDnfPack } from "../utils/setup/setupDnfPack"
 import { isUbuntu } from "../utils/env/isUbuntu"
+import { removeVPrefix } from "../utils/setup/version"
 
-function getKcovPackageInfo(version: string): PackageInfo {
-  const version_number = parseInt(version.replace(/^v/, ""), 10)
-  if (version_number === 38) {
-    // eslint-disable-next-line no-param-reassign
-    version = "v38"
+function getDownloadKcovPackageInfo(version_number: string): PackageInfo {
+  return {
+    url: `https://github.com/SimonKagstrom/kcov/releases/download/v${version_number}/kcov-amd64.tar.gz`,
+    extractedFolderName: "",
+    binRelativeDir: "usr/local/bin",
+    binFileName: addBinExtension("kcov"),
+    extractFunction: extractTarByExe,
   }
-  if (version_number >= 39) {
-    return {
-      url: `https://github.com/SimonKagstrom/kcov/releases/download/v${version_number}/kcov-amd64.tar.gz`,
-      extractedFolderName: "",
-      binRelativeDir: "usr/local/bin",
-      binFileName: addBinExtension("kcov"),
-      extractFunction: extractTarByExe,
-    }
-  } else {
-    return {
-      url: `https://github.com/SimonKagstrom/kcov/archive/refs/tags/${version}.tar.gz`,
-      extractedFolderName: `kcov-${version_number}`,
-      binRelativeDir: "build/",
-      binFileName: addBinExtension("kcov"),
-      extractFunction: buildKcov,
-    }
+}
+
+function getBuildKcovPackageInfo(version: string): PackageInfo {
+  const version_number = removeVPrefix(version)
+  return {
+    url: `https://github.com/SimonKagstrom/kcov/archive/refs/tags/${version}.tar.gz`,
+    extractedFolderName: `kcov-${version_number}`,
+    binRelativeDir: "build/",
+    binFileName: addBinExtension("kcov"),
+    extractFunction: buildKcov,
   }
 }
 
@@ -64,16 +61,32 @@ async function buildKcov(file: string, dest: string) {
   return out
 }
 
-export async function setupKcov(version: string, setupDir: string, arch: string) {
+export async function setupKcov(versionGiven: string, setupDir: string, arch: string) {
   switch (process.platform) {
     case "linux": {
-      const installationInfo = await setupBin("kcov", version, getKcovPackageInfo, setupDir, arch)
-      if (isArch()) {
-        setupPacmanPack("binutils")
-      } else if (hasDnf()) {
-        setupDnfPack("binutils")
-      } else if (isUbuntu()) {
-        setupAptPack("libbinutils")
+      // parse version
+      const versionSplit = versionGiven.split("-")
+      let version = versionSplit[0]
+      const installMethod = versionSplit[1] as "binary" | undefined
+      const version_number = removeVPrefix(version)
+      // fix inconsistency in tagging
+      if (version_number === 38) {
+        version = "v38"
+      }
+
+      let installationInfo: InstallationInfo
+      if (installMethod === "binary" && version_number >= 39) {
+        installationInfo = await setupBin("kcov", version, getDownloadKcovPackageInfo, setupDir, arch)
+        if (isArch()) {
+          setupPacmanPack("binutils")
+        } else if (hasDnf()) {
+          setupDnfPack("binutils")
+        } else if (isUbuntu()) {
+          setupAptPack("libbinutils")
+        }
+        return installationInfo
+      } else {
+        installationInfo = await setupBin("kcov", version, getBuildKcovPackageInfo, setupDir, arch)
       }
       return installationInfo
     }
diff --git a/src/utils/setup/version.ts b/src/utils/setup/version.ts
index 95eaa7a7..ae56403a 100644
--- a/src/utils/setup/version.ts
+++ b/src/utils/setup/version.ts
@@ -115,3 +115,7 @@ export function semverCoerceIfInvalid(version: string) {
   }
   return version
 }
+
+export function removeVPrefix(version: string) {
+  return parseInt(version.replace(/^v/, ""), 10)
+}