diff --git a/eclass/autotools.eclass b/eclass/autotools.eclass
index f37b8482781fb..f179d5f950e7e 100644
--- a/eclass/autotools.eclass
+++ b/eclass/autotools.eclass
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ _LATEST_AUTOCONF=( 2.72-r1:2.72 )
 # Do NOT change this variable in your ebuilds!
 # If you want to force a newer minor version, you can specify the correct
 # WANT value by using a colon:  <PV>:<WANT_AUTOMAKE>
-_LATEST_AUTOMAKE=( 1.17-r1:1.17 1.16.5:1.16 )
+_LATEST_AUTOMAKE=( 1.18:1.18 1.17-r1:1.17 )
 
 _automake_atom="dev-build/automake"
 _autoconf_atom="dev-build/autoconf"