diff --git a/gclient_scm.py b/gclient_scm.py
index a9984e857..1afd3f4ff 100644
--- a/gclient_scm.py
+++ b/gclient_scm.py
@@ -555,21 +555,10 @@ class GitWrapper(SCMWrapper, scm.GIT):
       print ""
 
   def _CheckMinVersion(self, min_version):
-    def only_int(val):
-      if val.isdigit():
-        return int(val)
-      else:
-        return 0
-    version = self._Run(['--version'], cwd='.').split()[-1]
-    version_list = map(only_int, version.split('.'))
-    min_version_list = map(int, min_version.split('.'))
-    for min_ver in min_version_list:
-      ver = version_list.pop(0)
-      if min_ver > ver:
-        raise gclient_utils.Error('git version %s < minimum required %s' %
-                                  (version, min_version))
-      elif min_ver < ver:
-        return
+    (ok, current_version) = scm.GIT.AssertVersion(min_version)
+    if not ok:
+      raise gclient_utils.Error('git version %s < minimum required %s' %
+                                (current_version, min_version))
 
   def _GetCurrentBranch(self):
     # Returns name of current branch
diff --git a/scm.py b/scm.py
index 1dce4bd7c..b4553765a 100644
--- a/scm.py
+++ b/scm.py
@@ -270,6 +270,24 @@ class GIT(object):
     root = GIT.Capture(['rev-parse', '--show-cdup'], path)[0].strip()
     return os.path.abspath(os.path.join(path, root))
 
+  @staticmethod
+  def AssertVersion(min_version):
+    """Asserts git's version is at least min_version."""
+    def only_int(val):
+      if val.isdigit():
+        return int(val)
+      else:
+        return 0
+    current_version =  GIT.Capture(['--version'])[0].split()[-1]
+    current_version_list = map(only_int, current_version.split('.'))
+    for min_ver in map(int, min_version.split('.')):
+      ver = current_version_list.pop(0)
+      if ver < min_ver:
+        return (False, current_version)
+      elif ver > min_ver:
+        return (True, current_version)
+    return (True, current_version)
+
 
 class SVN(object):
   COMMAND = "svn"
diff --git a/tests/gclient_scm_test.py b/tests/gclient_scm_test.py
index 634ad9810..11033424b 100755
--- a/tests/gclient_scm_test.py
+++ b/tests/gclient_scm_test.py
@@ -379,7 +379,8 @@ from :3
 
   def testDir(self):
     members = [
-        'COMMAND', 'Capture', 'CaptureStatus', 'FetchUpstreamTuple',
+        'COMMAND', 'AssertVersion', 'Capture', 'CaptureStatus',
+        'FetchUpstreamTuple',
         'FullUrlForRelativeUrl', 'GenerateDiff', 'GetBranch', 'GetBranchRef',
         'GetCheckoutRoot', 'GetDifferentFiles', 'GetEmail', 'GetPatchName',
         'GetSVNBranch', 'GetUpstream', 'IsGitSvn', 'RunAndFilterOutput',
diff --git a/tests/scm_unittest.py b/tests/scm_unittest.py
index e5f8a64d8..5f3ff5ef3 100755
--- a/tests/scm_unittest.py
+++ b/tests/scm_unittest.py
@@ -118,7 +118,8 @@ from :3
   def testMembersChanged(self):
     self.mox.ReplayAll()
     members = [
-        'COMMAND', 'Capture', 'CaptureStatus', 'FetchUpstreamTuple',
+        'COMMAND', 'AssertVersion', 'Capture', 'CaptureStatus',
+        'FetchUpstreamTuple',
         'GenerateDiff', 'GetBranch', 'GetBranchRef', 'GetCheckoutRoot',
         'GetDifferentFiles', 'GetEmail', 'GetPatchName', 'GetSVNBranch',
         'GetUpstream', 'IsGitSvn', 'RunAndFilterOutput', 'ShortBranchName',