diff --git a/libraries/AP_NavEKF2/AP_NavEKF2_Measurements.cpp b/libraries/AP_NavEKF2/AP_NavEKF2_Measurements.cpp
index 826208e5ee..acf0c4b29a 100644
--- a/libraries/AP_NavEKF2/AP_NavEKF2_Measurements.cpp
+++ b/libraries/AP_NavEKF2/AP_NavEKF2_Measurements.cpp
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ void NavEKF2_core::readIMUData()
 
     // If 10msec has elapsed, and the frontend has allowed us to start a new predict cycle, then store the accumulated IMU data
     // to be used by the state prediction, ignoring the frontend permission if more than 20msec has lapsed
-    if ((dtIMUavg*(float)framesSincePredict >= 0.01f && startPredictEnabled) || (dtIMUavg*(float)framesSincePredict >= 0.02f)) {
+    if ((dtIMUavg*(float)framesSincePredict >= EKF_TARGET_DT && startPredictEnabled) || (dtIMUavg*(float)framesSincePredict >= 2.0f*EKF_TARGET_DT)) {
 
         // convert the accumulated quaternion to an equivalent delta angle
         imuQuatDownSampleNew.to_axis_angle(imuDataDownSampledNew.delAng);
@@ -292,6 +292,10 @@ void NavEKF2_core::readIMUData()
         // Write data to the FIFO IMU buffer
         storedIMU.push_youngest_element(imuDataDownSampledNew);
 
+        // calculate the achieved average time step rate for the EKF
+        float dtNow = constrain_float(0.5f*(imuDataDownSampledNew.delAngDT+imuDataDownSampledNew.delVelDT),0.0f,10.0f*EKF_TARGET_DT);
+        dtEkfAvg = 0.98f * dtEkfAvg + 0.02f * dtNow;
+
         // zero the accumulated IMU data and quaternion
         imuDataDownSampledNew.delAng.zero();
         imuDataDownSampledNew.delVel.zero();
diff --git a/libraries/AP_NavEKF2/AP_NavEKF2_core.cpp b/libraries/AP_NavEKF2/AP_NavEKF2_core.cpp
index a7d8db10d2..dc59263e5f 100644
--- a/libraries/AP_NavEKF2/AP_NavEKF2_core.cpp
+++ b/libraries/AP_NavEKF2/AP_NavEKF2_core.cpp
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ void NavEKF2_core::InitialiseVariables()
     finalInflightYawInit = false;
     finalInflightMagInit = false;
     dtIMUavg = 0.0025f;
-    dtEkfAvg = 0.01f;
+    dtEkfAvg = EKF_TARGET_DT;
     dt = 0;
     velDotNEDfilt.zero();
     lastKnownPositionNE.zero();
@@ -287,7 +287,6 @@ bool NavEKF2_core::InitialiseFilterBootstrap(void)
 
     // Initialise IMU data
     dtIMUavg = _ahrs->get_ins().get_loop_delta_t();
-    dtEkfAvg = MIN(0.01f,dtIMUavg);
     readIMUData();
     storedIMU.reset_history(imuDataNew);
     imuDataDelayed = imuDataNew;
diff --git a/libraries/AP_NavEKF2/AP_NavEKF2_core.h b/libraries/AP_NavEKF2/AP_NavEKF2_core.h
index 9df05e0d27..15739c7a3b 100644
--- a/libraries/AP_NavEKF2/AP_NavEKF2_core.h
+++ b/libraries/AP_NavEKF2/AP_NavEKF2_core.h
@@ -646,6 +646,8 @@ private:
     bool badMagYaw;                 // boolean true if the magnetometer is declared to be producing bad data
     bool badIMUdata;                // boolean true if the bad IMU data is detected
 
+    const float EKF_TARGET_DT = 0.01f;    // target EKF update time step
+
     float gpsNoiseScaler;           // Used to scale the  GPS measurement noise and consistency gates to compensate for operation with small satellite counts
     Vector28 Kfusion;               // Kalman gain vector
     Matrix24 KH;                    // intermediate result used for covariance updates