diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/kafka/tools/ConsumerPerformance.scala b/core/src/main/scala/kafka/tools/ConsumerPerformance.scala
index a329b4aae55..44324e898c3 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/kafka/tools/ConsumerPerformance.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/kafka/tools/ConsumerPerformance.scala
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ object ConsumerPerformance extends LazyLogging {
     var messagesRead = 0L
     var lastBytesRead = 0L
     var lastMessagesRead = 0L
-    var joinStart = 0L
+    var joinStart = System.currentTimeMillis
     var joinTimeMsInSingleRound = 0L
 
     consumer.subscribe(topics.asJava, new ConsumerRebalanceListener {