diff --git a/src/TextUI/Command.php b/src/TextUI/Command.php
index 929ca366482..363d1b363ac 100644
--- a/src/TextUI/Command.php
+++ b/src/TextUI/Command.php
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ class PHPUnit_TextUI_Command
      */
     protected $longOptions = array(
       'colors' => null,
+      'nocolor' => null,
       'bootstrap=' => null,
       'configuration=' => null,
       'coverage-clover=' => null,
@@ -278,8 +279,16 @@ protected function handleArguments(array $argv)
 
         foreach ($this->options[0] as $option) {
             switch ($option[0]) {
-                case '--colors': {
-                    $this->arguments['colors'] = true;
+                case '--colors':
+                    if (function_exists("posix_isatty") && !posix_isatty(STDOUT)) {
+                        $this->arguments['colors'] = false;
+                    } else {
+                        $this->arguments['colors'] = true;
+                    }
+                break;
+
+                case '--nocolor': {
+                    $this->arguments['colors'] = false;
                     }
                 break;
 
diff --git a/src/Util/Configuration.php b/src/Util/Configuration.php
index 9ddcfb8de02..0fcc5fb9e2f 100644
--- a/src/Util/Configuration.php
+++ b/src/Util/Configuration.php
@@ -582,6 +582,9 @@ public function getPHPUnitConfiguration()
             $result['colors'] = $this->getBoolean(
                 (string) $root->getAttribute('colors'), false
             );
+            if ($result['colors'] && function_exists("posix_isatty") && !posix_isatty(STDOUT)) {
+                $result['colors'] = false;
+            }
         }
 
         /**