diff --git a/lib/config/presets/internal/custom-managers.spec.ts b/lib/config/presets/internal/custom-managers.spec.ts
index e869acdabe1e20..505206ba9faf11 100644
--- a/lib/config/presets/internal/custom-managers.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/config/presets/internal/custom-managers.spec.ts
@@ -515,6 +515,79 @@ describe('config/presets/internal/custom-managers', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('Update `_VERSION` variables in Makefiles', () => {
+    const customManager = presets['makefileVersions'].customManagers?.[0];
+
+    it(`find dependencies in file`, async () => {
+      const fileContent = codeBlock`
+        # renovate: datasource=node depName=node versioning=node
+        NODE_VERSION=18.13.0
+        # renovate: datasource=npm depName=pnpm
+        PNPM_VERSION = "7.25.1"
+        # renovate: datasource=npm depName=yarn
+        YARN_VERSION := '3.3.1'
+        # renovate: datasource=custom.hashicorp depName=consul
+        CONSUL_VERSION ?= 1.3.1
+
+        lint:
+        \tnpm install -g pnpm@$(PNPM_VERSION)
+      `;
+
+      const res = await extractPackageFile(
+        fileContent,
+        'gitlab-ci.yml',
+        customManager!,
+      );
+
+      expect(res?.deps).toMatchObject([
+        {
+          currentValue: '18.13.0',
+          datasource: 'node-version',
+          depName: 'node',
+          replaceString:
+            '# renovate: datasource=node depName=node versioning=node\nNODE_VERSION=18.13.0\n',
+          versioning: 'node',
+        },
+        {
+          currentValue: '7.25.1',
+          datasource: 'npm',
+          depName: 'pnpm',
+          replaceString:
+            '# renovate: datasource=npm depName=pnpm\nPNPM_VERSION = "7.25.1"\n',
+        },
+        {
+          currentValue: '3.3.1',
+          datasource: 'npm',
+          depName: 'yarn',
+          replaceString:
+            "# renovate: datasource=npm depName=yarn\nYARN_VERSION := '3.3.1'\n",
+        },
+        {
+          currentValue: '1.3.1',
+          datasource: 'custom.hashicorp',
+          depName: 'consul',
+          replaceString:
+            '# renovate: datasource=custom.hashicorp depName=consul\nCONSUL_VERSION ?= 1.3.1\n',
+        },
+      ]);
+    });
+
+    describe('matches regexes patterns', () => {
+      it.each`
+        path                      | expected
+        ${'Makefile'}             | ${true}
+        ${'makefile'}             | ${true}
+        ${'GNUMakefile'}          | ${true}
+        ${'sub/dir/Makefile'}     | ${true}
+        ${'versions.mk'}          | ${true}
+        ${'Dockerfile'}           | ${false}
+        ${'MakefileGenerator.ts'} | ${false}
+      `('$path', ({ path, expected }) => {
+        expect(regexMatches(path, customManager!.fileMatch)).toBe(expected);
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('finds dependencies in pom.xml properties', () => {
     const customManager = presets['mavenPropertyVersions'].customManagers?.[0];
 
diff --git a/lib/config/presets/internal/custom-managers.ts b/lib/config/presets/internal/custom-managers.ts
index 6d772d39debe06..5a3fc8b244d53c 100644
--- a/lib/config/presets/internal/custom-managers.ts
+++ b/lib/config/presets/internal/custom-managers.ts
@@ -87,6 +87,23 @@ export const presets: Record<string, Preset> = {
     ],
     description: 'Update `appVersion` value in Helm chart `Chart.yaml`.',
   },
+  makefileVersions: {
+    customManagers: [
+      {
+        customType: 'regex',
+        fileMatch: [
+          '(^|/)Makefile$',
+          '(^|/)makefile$',
+          '(^|/)GNUMakefile$',
+          '\\.mk$',
+        ],
+        matchStrings: [
+          '# renovate: datasource=(?<datasource>[a-z-.]+?) depName=(?<depName>[^\\s]+?)(?: (?:packageName)=(?<packageName>[^\\s]+?))?(?: versioning=(?<versioning>[^\\s]+?))?(?: extractVersion=(?<extractVersion>[^\\s]+?))?(?: registryUrl=(?<registryUrl>[^\\s]+?))?\\s+[A-Za-z0-9_]+?_VERSION\\s*:*\\??=\\s*["\']?(?<currentValue>.+?)["\']?\\s',
+        ],
+      },
+    ],
+    description: 'Update `_VERSION` variables in Makefiles.',
+  },
   mavenPropertyVersions: {
     customManagers: [
       {