diff --git a/.github/workflows/tox.yml b/.github/workflows/tox.yml
index bc1b51c038..f7dd572756 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tox.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tox.yml
@@ -25,17 +25,17 @@ jobs:
           - tox_env: lint
           - tox_env: docs
           - tox_env: py36
-            PREFIX: PYTEST_REQPASS=449
+            PREFIX: PYTEST_REQPASS=448
           - tox_env: py37
-            PREFIX: PYTEST_REQPASS=449
+            PREFIX: PYTEST_REQPASS=448
           - tox_env: py38
-            PREFIX: PYTEST_REQPASS=449
+            PREFIX: PYTEST_REQPASS=448
           - tox_env: py39
-            PREFIX: PYTEST_REQPASS=449
+            PREFIX: PYTEST_REQPASS=448
           - tox_env: py36-devel
-            PREFIX: PYTEST_REQPASS=449
+            PREFIX: PYTEST_REQPASS=448
           - tox_env: py39-devel
-            PREFIX: PYTEST_REQPASS=449
+            PREFIX: PYTEST_REQPASS=448
           - tox_env: packaging
           - tox_env: eco
           - tox_env: dockerfile
diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index f911387278..c8a2995206 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ repos:
         entry: mypy src/
         pass_filenames: false
         additional_dependencies:
-          - ansible-lint>=5.1.2
+          - ansible-compat>=0.3.0
           - click>=8.0.1
           - enrich>=1.2.5
           - importlib-metadata>=4.6.1
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index d5f4787191..7c1e542d0c 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ setup_requires =
 
 # These are required in actual runtime:
 install_requires =
-    ansible-lint >= 5.1.1  # only for the prerun functionality
+    ansible-compat >= 0.3.0
     cerberus >= 1.3.1, !=1.3.3, !=1.3.4
     click >= 8.0, < 9
     click-help-colors >= 0.9
diff --git a/src/molecule/command/base.py b/src/molecule/command/base.py
index d32f57c7de..b85b0324ab 100644
--- a/src/molecule/command/base.py
+++ b/src/molecule/command/base.py
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@
 from typing import Any, Callable
 
 import click
-from ansiblelint.prerun import prepare_environment
 from click_help_colors import HelpColorsCommand, HelpColorsGroup
 
 import molecule.scenarios
@@ -109,7 +108,7 @@ def execute_cmdline_scenarios(scenario_name, args, command_args, ansible_args=()
 
         if scenario.config.config["prerun"]:
             LOG.info("Performing prerun...")
-            prepare_environment()
+            scenario.config.runtime.prepare_environment()
 
         if command_args.get("subcommand") == "reset":
             LOG.info("Removing %s" % scenario.ephemeral_directory)
diff --git a/src/molecule/config.py b/src/molecule/config.py
index 0c1bfc41b7..ab5cc85960 100644
--- a/src/molecule/config.py
+++ b/src/molecule/config.py
@@ -23,10 +23,12 @@
 import functools
 import logging
 import os
+import warnings
 from typing import Callable, MutableMapping, TypeVar
 from uuid import uuid4
 
-from ansiblelint.config import ansible_version
+from ansible_compat.runtime import Runtime
+from packaging.version import Version
 
 from molecule import api, interpolation, platforms, scenario, state, util
 from molecule.dependency import ansible_galaxy, shell
@@ -51,6 +53,16 @@ def cache(func: Callable[..., T]) -> T:
     return functools.lru_cache()(func)  # type: ignore
 
 
+@cache
+def ansible_version() -> Version:
+    """Retrieve Ansible version."""
+    warnings.warn(
+        "molecule.config.ansible_version is deprecated, will be removed in the future.",
+        category=DeprecationWarning,
+    )
+    return Runtime().version
+
+
 # https://stackoverflow.com/questions/16017397/injecting-function-call-after-init-with-decorator  # noqa
 class NewInitCaller(type):
     """NewInitCaller."""
@@ -102,6 +114,7 @@ def __init__(self, molecule_file: str, args={}, command_args={}, ansible_args=()
         self._action = None
         self._run_uuid = str(uuid4())
         self.project_directory = os.getenv("MOLECULE_PROJECT_DIRECTORY", os.getcwd())
+        self.runtime = Runtime(isolated=True)
 
     def after_init(self):
         self.config = self._reget_config()
@@ -115,7 +128,7 @@ def write(self) -> None:
     def ansible_collections_path(self):
         """Return collection path variable for current version of Ansible."""
         # https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/70007
-        if ansible_version() >= ansible_version("2.10.0.dev0"):
+        if self.runtime.version >= Version("2.10.0.dev0"):
             return "ANSIBLE_COLLECTIONS_PATH"
         else:
             return "ANSIBLE_COLLECTIONS_PATHS"
diff --git a/src/molecule/dependency/base.py b/src/molecule/dependency/base.py
index 6e0fb78c35..8b6eedaaae 100644
--- a/src/molecule/dependency/base.py
+++ b/src/molecule/dependency/base.py
@@ -110,10 +110,6 @@ def default_env(self):  # pragma: no cover
         :return: dict
         """
         env = util.merge_dicts(os.environ, self._config.env)
-        # inject ephemeral_directory on top of path
-        env[self._config.ansible_collections_path] = os.path.join(
-            self._config.scenario.ephemeral_directory, "collections"
-        )
         return env
 
     @property
diff --git a/src/molecule/provisioner/ansible.py b/src/molecule/provisioner/ansible.py
index 734429cb3f..72ac636640 100644
--- a/src/molecule/provisioner/ansible.py
+++ b/src/molecule/provisioner/ansible.py
@@ -457,7 +457,6 @@ def default_env(self):
                         *os.environ.get("ANSIBLE_ROLES_PATH", "").split(":"),
                     ]
                 ),
-                self._config.ansible_collections_path: ":".join(collections_path_list),
                 "ANSIBLE_LIBRARY": ":".join(self._get_modules_directories()),
                 "ANSIBLE_FILTER_PLUGINS": ":".join(
                     [
diff --git a/src/molecule/shell.py b/src/molecule/shell.py
index 4c5de77cd9..27c789f06e 100644
--- a/src/molecule/shell.py
+++ b/src/molecule/shell.py
@@ -24,12 +24,13 @@
 
 import click
 import pkg_resources
+from ansible_compat.runtime import Runtime
 
 import molecule
 from molecule import command, logger
 from molecule.api import drivers
 from molecule.command.base import click_group_ex
-from molecule.config import MOLECULE_DEBUG, MOLECULE_VERBOSITY, ansible_version
+from molecule.config import MOLECULE_DEBUG, MOLECULE_VERBOSITY
 from molecule.console import console
 from molecule.util import do_report, lookup_config_file
 
@@ -59,9 +60,8 @@ def print_version(ctx, param, value):
     color = "bright_yellow" if v.is_prerelease else "green"
     msg = f"molecule [{color}]{v}[/] using python [repr.number]{sys.version_info[0]}.{sys.version_info[1]}[/] \n"
 
-    msg += (
-        f"    [repr.attrib_name]ansible[/][dim]:[/][repr.number]{ansible_version()}[/]"
-    )
+    runtime = Runtime()
+    msg += f"    [repr.attrib_name]ansible[/][dim]:[/][repr.number]{runtime.version}[/]"
     for driver in drivers():
         msg += f"\n    [repr.attrib_name]{str(driver)}[/][dim]:[/][repr.number]{driver.version}[/][dim] from {driver.module}[/]"
         if driver.required_collections:
diff --git a/src/molecule/test/functional/conftest.py b/src/molecule/test/functional/conftest.py
index 46c5003131..d94104f783 100644
--- a/src/molecule/test/functional/conftest.py
+++ b/src/molecule/test/functional/conftest.py
@@ -28,9 +28,10 @@
 import pexpect
 import pkg_resources
 import pytest
+from ansible_compat.runtime import Runtime
+from packaging.version import Version
 
 from molecule import logger, util
-from molecule.config import ansible_version
 from molecule.test.conftest import change_dir_to, molecule_directory
 from molecule.text import strip_ansi_color
 from molecule.util import run_command
@@ -257,4 +258,5 @@ def supports_docker() -> bool:
 
 def min_ansible(version: str) -> bool:
     """Ensure current Ansible is newer than a given a minimal one."""
-    return ansible_version() >= ansible_version(version)
+    runtime = Runtime()
+    return bool(runtime.version >= Version(version))
diff --git a/src/molecule/test/unit/conftest.py b/src/molecule/test/unit/conftest.py
index 90a128979f..baea801e10 100644
--- a/src/molecule/test/unit/conftest.py
+++ b/src/molecule/test/unit/conftest.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 import shutil
 from pathlib import Path
 from subprocess import CompletedProcess
-from typing import Any, Tuple
+from typing import Any, Generator, Tuple
 from uuid import uuid4
 
 import pytest
@@ -145,15 +145,19 @@ def molecule_file_fixture(
 @pytest.fixture
 def config_instance(
     molecule_file_fixture: str, molecule_data, request
-) -> config.Config:
+) -> Generator[config.Config, None, None]:
     mdc = copy.deepcopy(molecule_data)
     if hasattr(request, "param"):
         mdc = util.merge_dicts(mdc, request.getfixturevalue(request.param))
-    write_molecule_file(molecule_file_fixture, mdc)
+    pytest.helpers.write_molecule_file(molecule_file_fixture, mdc)
+
+    _environ = dict(os.environ)
     c = config.Config(molecule_file_fixture)
     c.command_args = {"subcommand": "test"}
-
-    return c
+    yield c
+    # restore environ which can be modified by Config()
+    os.environ.clear()
+    os.environ.update(_environ)
 
 
 # Mocks
diff --git a/src/molecule/test/unit/provisioner/test_ansible.py b/src/molecule/test/unit/provisioner/test_ansible.py
index 0bdde7d13d..ea3f294e84 100644
--- a/src/molecule/test/unit/provisioner/test_ansible.py
+++ b/src/molecule/test/unit/provisioner/test_ansible.py
@@ -134,18 +134,6 @@ def test_default_env_property(_instance):
     assert "ANSIBLE_FILTER_PLUGINS" in _instance.env
 
 
-def test_default_env_property_collections_path(config_instance):
-    config_instance.project_directory = (
-        "/some/path/ansible_collections/namespace/collection/but/not/really"
-        "/ansible_collections/other_ns/other_name/and/some/more/segments"
-    )
-
-    env = ansible.Ansible(config_instance).default_env
-
-    paths = env[config_instance.ansible_collections_path].split(":")
-    assert "/some/path/ansible_collections/namespace/collection/but/not/really" in paths
-
-
 def test_name_property(_instance):
     assert "ansible" == _instance.name