diff --git a/cmd/nvidia-container-runtime-hook/container_config.go b/cmd/nvidia-container-runtime-hook/container_config.go
index 86288d8e6..9c61b1dc3 100644
--- a/cmd/nvidia-container-runtime-hook/container_config.go
+++ b/cmd/nvidia-container-runtime-hook/container_config.go
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"path"
 
+	"github.com/Masterminds/semver/v3"
 	"github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec/specs-go"
-	"golang.org/x/mod/semver"
 
 	"github.com/NVIDIA/nvidia-container-toolkit/internal/config/image"
 )
@@ -107,8 +107,12 @@ func (s *Spec) GetCapabilities() []string {
 	var caps []string
 	// If v1.0.0-rc1 <= OCI version < v1.0.0-rc5 parse s.Process.Capabilities as:
 	// github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec/blob/v1.0.0-rc1/specs-go/config.go#L30-L54
-	rc1cmp := semver.Compare("v"+*s.Version, "v1.0.0-rc1")
-	rc5cmp := semver.Compare("v"+*s.Version, "v1.0.0-rc5")
+	sv, err := semver.NewVersion(*s.Version)
+	if err != nil {
+		sv = semver.MustParse("0.0.0")
+	}
+	rc1cmp := sv.Compare(semver.MustParse("v1.0.0-rc1"))
+	rc5cmp := sv.Compare(semver.MustParse("v1.0.0-rc5"))
 	if (rc1cmp == 1 || rc1cmp == 0) && (rc5cmp == -1) {
 		err := json.Unmarshal(*s.Process.Capabilities, &caps)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -120,7 +124,7 @@ func (s *Spec) GetCapabilities() []string {
 	// Otherwise, parse s.Process.Capabilities as:
 	// github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec/blob/v1.0.0/specs-go/config.go#L30-L54
 	capabilities := specs.LinuxCapabilities{}
-	err := json.Unmarshal(*s.Process.Capabilities, &capabilities)
+	err = json.Unmarshal(*s.Process.Capabilities, &capabilities)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Panicln("could not decode Process.Capabilities in OCI spec:", err)
 	}
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 11dbed2f6..d243166af 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ require (
 	github.com/stretchr/testify v1.11.1
 	github.com/urfave/cli-altsrc/v3 v3.1.0
 	github.com/urfave/cli/v3 v3.10.1
-	golang.org/x/mod v0.38.0
 	golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0
 	tags.cncf.io/container-device-interface v1.1.0
 	tags.cncf.io/container-device-interface/specs-go v1.1.0
@@ -42,6 +41,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/rogpeppe/go-internal v1.11.0 // indirect
 	github.com/tetratelabs/wazero v1.11.0 // indirect
 	github.com/xeipuuv/gojsonpointer v0.0.0-20190905194746-02993c407bfb // indirect
+	golang.org/x/mod v0.38.0 // indirect
 	google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20260414002931-afd174a4e478 // indirect
 	google.golang.org/grpc v1.82.1 // indirect
 	google.golang.org/protobuf v1.36.11 // indirect
diff --git a/internal/config/image/cuda_image.go b/internal/config/image/cuda_image.go
index e0343c089..a06a7bb31 100644
--- a/internal/config/image/cuda_image.go
+++ b/internal/config/image/cuda_image.go
@@ -23,8 +23,8 @@ import (
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 
+	"github.com/Masterminds/semver/v3"
 	"github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec/specs-go"
-	"golang.org/x/mod/semver"
 	"tags.cncf.io/container-device-interface/pkg/parser"
 
 	"github.com/NVIDIA/nvidia-container-toolkit/internal/logger"
@@ -201,16 +201,13 @@ func (i CUDA) legacyVersion() (string, error) {
 }
 
 func parseMajorMinorVersion(version string) (string, error) {
-	vVersion := "v" + strings.TrimPrefix(version, "v")
-
-	if !semver.IsValid(vVersion) {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("invalid version string")
+	sv, err := semver.NewVersion(version)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("invalid version string: %w", err)
 	}
-
-	majorMinor := strings.TrimPrefix(semver.MajorMinor(vVersion), "v")
+	majorMinor := fmt.Sprintf("%d.%d", sv.Major(), sv.Minor())
 	parts := strings.Split(majorMinor, ".")
 
-	var err error
 	_, err = strconv.ParseUint(parts[0], 10, 32)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("invalid major version")
@@ -219,6 +216,7 @@ func parseMajorMinorVersion(version string) (string, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("invalid minor version")
 	}
+
 	return majorMinor, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/requirements/constraints/property.go b/internal/requirements/constraints/property.go
index c1a754ebd..d157705b1 100644
--- a/internal/requirements/constraints/property.go
+++ b/internal/requirements/constraints/property.go
@@ -18,9 +18,8 @@ package constraints
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"strings"
 
-	"golang.org/x/mod/semver"
+	"github.com/Masterminds/semver/v3"
 )
 
 // Property represents a property that is used to check requirements
@@ -111,20 +110,23 @@ func (p versionProperty) CompareTo(other string) (int, error) {
 		return 0, fmt.Errorf("invailid value for %v: %v", p.name, err)
 	}
 
-	vValue := ensurePrefix(p.value, "v")
-	vOther := ensurePrefix(other, "v")
-	return semver.Compare(vValue, vOther), nil
+	value, err := semver.NewVersion(p.value)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("invalid value for %v: %w", p.name, err)
+	}
+	otherVersion, err := semver.NewVersion(other)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("invalid value for %v: %w", p.name, err)
+	}
+	return value.Compare(otherVersion), nil
 }
 
 // Validate checks whether the supplied value is a valid semantic version
 func (p versionProperty) Validate(value string) error {
-	if !semver.IsValid(ensurePrefix(value, "v")) {
-		return fmt.Errorf("invailid value %v; expected a valid version string", value)
+	_, err := semver.NewVersion(value)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("invalid version string: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	return nil
 }
-
-func ensurePrefix(s string, prefix string) string {
-	return prefix + strings.TrimPrefix(s, prefix)
-}
diff --git a/tests/e2e/nvidia-container-toolkit_test.go b/tests/e2e/nvidia-container-toolkit_test.go
index 8ebd2af23..7bb265de8 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/nvidia-container-toolkit_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/nvidia-container-toolkit_test.go
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import (
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
 
-	"golang.org/x/mod/semver"
+	"github.com/Masterminds/semver/v3"
 )
 
 // Integration tests for Docker runtime
@@ -491,7 +491,7 @@ EOF`)
 
 		It("should fail when using the nvidia-container-runtime-hook", Label("legacy"), func(ctx context.Context) {
 			// Prior to Docker v29.2.0, the --gpus flag would inject the nvidia-container-runtime-hook.
-			if semver.Compare(dockerVersion, "v29.2.0") >= 0 {
+			if semver.MustParse(dockerVersion).Compare(semver.MustParse("v29.2.0")) >= 0 {
 				Skip(fmt.Sprintf("This test requires Docker < v29.2.0. Found %s", dockerVersion))
 			}
 			output, stderr, err := runner.Run("docker run --rm --runtime=runc --gpus=all firmware-test")
@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@ EOF`)
 		It("should not fail when the --gpus flag is handled as a CDI request", func(ctx context.Context) {
 			// As of Docker v29.2.0, the --gpus flag is handled as a CDI
 			// device request if CDI specs are available.
-			if semver.Compare(dockerVersion, "v29.2.0") < 0 {
+			if semver.MustParse(dockerVersion).Compare(semver.MustParse("v29.2.0")) < 0 {
 				Skip(fmt.Sprintf("This test requires Docker >= v29.2.0. Found %s", dockerVersion))
 			}
 			output, stderr, err := runner.Run("docker run --rm --runtime=runc --gpus=all firmware-test")