diff --git a/hack/lib/version.sh b/hack/lib/version.sh
index 5bc603695b3..ebadad281b9 100644
--- a/hack/lib/version.sh
+++ b/hack/lib/version.sh
@@ -56,7 +56,14 @@ kube::version::get_version_vars() {
       #
       # TODO: We continue calling this "git version" because so many
       # downstream consumers are expecting it there.
-      KUBE_GIT_VERSION=$(echo "${KUBE_GIT_VERSION}" | sed "s/-\([0-9]\{1,\}\)-g\([0-9a-f]\{14\}\)$/.\1\+\2/")
+      DASHES_IN_VERSION=$(echo "${KUBE_GIT_VERSION}" | sed "s/[^-]//g")
+      if [[ "${DASHES_IN_VERSION}" == "---" ]] ; then
+        # We have distance to subversion (v1.1.0-subversion-1-gCommitHash)
+        KUBE_GIT_VERSION=$(echo "${KUBE_GIT_VERSION}" | sed "s/-\([0-9]\{1,\}\)-g\([0-9a-f]\{14\}\)$/.\1\+\2/")
+      elif [[ "${DASHES_IN_VERSION}" == "--" ]] ; then
+        # We have distance to base tag (v1.1.0-1-gCommitHash)
+        KUBE_GIT_VERSION=$(echo "${KUBE_GIT_VERSION}" | sed "s/-g\([0-9a-f]\{14\}\)$/+\1/")
+      fi
       if [[ "${KUBE_GIT_TREE_STATE}" == "dirty" ]]; then
         # git describe --dirty only considers changes to existing files, but
         # that is problematic since new untracked .go files affect the build,