diff --git a/lib/plugins/aws/custom-resources/index.js b/lib/plugins/aws/custom-resources/index.js
index f25eb3d0e..b8b9f8f01 100644
--- a/lib/plugins/aws/custom-resources/index.js
+++ b/lib/plugins/aws/custom-resources/index.js
@@ -164,7 +164,8 @@ async function addCustomResourceToService(awsProvider, resourceName, iamRoleStat
 
   let runtimeVersion = 'nodejs22.x';
   const providerRuntime = awsProvider.getRuntime();
-  if (providerRuntime.startsWith('nodejs')) {
+  // AWS SDK v3 is only bundled with Node.js 18 and up
+  if (providerRuntime.startsWith('nodejs') && Number(providerRuntime.substring(6, 8)) >= 18) {
     runtimeVersion = providerRuntime;
   }