diff --git a/drivers/mmc/fsl_esdhc_imx.c b/drivers/mmc/fsl_esdhc_imx.c
index 9299635f50..efa5ed0af7 100644
--- a/drivers/mmc/fsl_esdhc_imx.c
+++ b/drivers/mmc/fsl_esdhc_imx.c
@@ -336,9 +336,8 @@ static int esdhc_setup_data(struct fsl_esdhc_priv *priv, struct mmc *mmc,
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_SYS_FSL_ESDHC_USE_PIO))
-		esdhc_setup_watermark_level(priv, data);
-	else
+	esdhc_setup_watermark_level(priv, data);
+	if (!IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_SYS_FSL_ESDHC_USE_PIO))
 		esdhc_setup_dma(priv, data);
 
 	/* Calculate the timeout period for data transactions */