diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-buffer.c b/cogl/cogl/cogl-buffer.c
index 620c24cb0..dd7d8cb18 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-buffer.c
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-buffer.c
@@ -137,12 +137,6 @@ _cogl_buffer_initialize (CoglBuffer *buffer,
       if (!_cogl_has_private_feature (ctx, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_PBOS))
         use_malloc = TRUE;
     }
-  else if (default_target == COGL_BUFFER_BIND_TARGET_ATTRIBUTE_BUFFER ||
-           default_target == COGL_BUFFER_BIND_TARGET_INDEX_BUFFER)
-    {
-      if (!_cogl_has_private_feature (ctx, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_VBOS))
-        use_malloc = TRUE;
-    }
 
   if (use_malloc)
     {
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-context.c b/cogl/cogl/cogl-context.c
index ff27e4b23..e52abe320 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-context.c
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-context.c
@@ -98,9 +98,6 @@ static CoglContext *_cogl_context = NULL;
 static void
 _cogl_init_feature_overrides (CoglContext *ctx)
 {
-  if (G_UNLIKELY (COGL_DEBUG_ENABLED (COGL_DEBUG_DISABLE_VBOS)))
-    COGL_FLAGS_SET (ctx->private_features, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_VBOS, FALSE);
-
   if (G_UNLIKELY (COGL_DEBUG_ENABLED (COGL_DEBUG_DISABLE_PBOS)))
     COGL_FLAGS_SET (ctx->private_features, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_PBOS, FALSE);
 }
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-debug-options.h b/cogl/cogl/cogl-debug-options.h
index ec0ca6b82..25c70d766 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-debug-options.h
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-debug-options.h
@@ -94,11 +94,6 @@ OPT (DISABLE_BATCHING,
      "disable-batching",
      N_("Disable Journal batching"),
      N_("Disable batching of geometry in the Cogl Journal."))
-OPT (DISABLE_VBOS,
-     N_("Root Cause"),
-     "disable-vbos",
-     N_("Disable GL Vertex Buffers"),
-     N_("Disable use of OpenGL vertex buffer objects"))
 OPT (DISABLE_PBOS,
      N_("Root Cause"),
      "disable-pbos",
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-debug.c b/cogl/cogl/cogl-debug.c
index 843f7cbe1..3898ee125 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-debug.c
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-debug.c
@@ -70,7 +70,6 @@ static const int n_cogl_log_debug_keys =
 static const GDebugKey cogl_behavioural_debug_keys[] = {
   { "rectangles", COGL_DEBUG_RECTANGLES },
   { "disable-batching", COGL_DEBUG_DISABLE_BATCHING },
-  { "disable-vbos", COGL_DEBUG_DISABLE_VBOS },
   { "disable-pbos", COGL_DEBUG_DISABLE_PBOS },
   { "disable-software-transform", COGL_DEBUG_DISABLE_SOFTWARE_TRANSFORM },
   { "dump-atlas-image", COGL_DEBUG_DUMP_ATLAS_IMAGE },
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-debug.h b/cogl/cogl/cogl-debug.h
index 17a8f8764..127961261 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-debug.h
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-debug.h
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ typedef enum
   COGL_DEBUG_OBJECT,
   COGL_DEBUG_BLEND_STRINGS,
   COGL_DEBUG_DISABLE_BATCHING,
-  COGL_DEBUG_DISABLE_VBOS,
   COGL_DEBUG_DISABLE_PBOS,
   COGL_DEBUG_JOURNAL,
   COGL_DEBUG_BATCHING,
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-journal.c b/cogl/cogl/cogl-journal.c
index 484696d31..16ae49eaf 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-journal.c
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-journal.c
@@ -1127,12 +1127,6 @@ create_attribute_buffer (CoglJournal *journal,
   CoglAttributeBuffer *vbo;
   CoglContext *ctx = journal->framebuffer->context;
 
-  /* If CoglBuffers are being emulated with malloc then there's not
-     really any point in using the pool so we'll just allocate the
-     buffer directly */
-  if (!_cogl_has_private_feature (ctx, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_VBOS))
-    return cogl_attribute_buffer_new_with_size (ctx, n_bytes);
-
   vbo = journal->vbo_pool[journal->next_vbo_in_pool];
 
   if (vbo == NULL)
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-private.h b/cogl/cogl/cogl-private.h
index ee8a40a0f..ccbe2a113 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-private.h
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-private.h
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ typedef enum
   COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_MESA_PACK_INVERT,
   COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_BLIT_FRAMEBUFFER,
   COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_PBOS,
-  COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_VBOS,
   COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_EXT_PACKED_DEPTH_STENCIL,
   COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_OES_PACKED_DEPTH_STENCIL,
   COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_TEXTURE_FORMAT_BGRA8888,
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-types.h b/cogl/cogl/cogl-types.h
index 7906287e4..376177653 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-types.h
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-types.h
@@ -118,7 +118,6 @@ typedef struct _CoglTextureVertex       CoglTextureVertex;
  * @COGL_FEATURE_OFFSCREEN_MULTISAMPLE: Multisample support on FBOs
  * @COGL_FEATURE_FOUR_CLIP_PLANES: At least 4 clip planes available
  * @COGL_FEATURE_STENCIL_BUFFER: Stencil buffer support
- * @COGL_FEATURE_VBOS: VBO support
  * @COGL_FEATURE_PBOS: PBO support
  * @COGL_FEATURE_UNSIGNED_INT_INDICES: Set if
  *     %COGL_INDICES_TYPE_UNSIGNED_INT is supported in
@@ -145,7 +144,6 @@ typedef enum
   COGL_FEATURE_OFFSCREEN_MULTISAMPLE  = (1 << 7),
   COGL_FEATURE_FOUR_CLIP_PLANES       = (1 << 9),
   COGL_FEATURE_STENCIL_BUFFER         = (1 << 10),
-  COGL_FEATURE_VBOS		      = (1 << 11),
   COGL_FEATURE_PBOS		      = (1 << 12),
   COGL_FEATURE_UNSIGNED_INT_INDICES   = (1 << 13),
   COGL_FEATURE_DEPTH_RANGE            = (1 << 14),
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gl/cogl-driver-gl.c b/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gl/cogl-driver-gl.c
index f54de587a..4d806e372 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gl/cogl-driver-gl.c
+++ b/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gl/cogl-driver-gl.c
@@ -446,7 +446,6 @@ _cogl_driver_update_features (CoglContext *ctx,
 
   if (ctx->glGenBuffers)
     {
-      COGL_FLAGS_SET (private_features, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_VBOS, TRUE);
       flags |= (COGL_FEATURE_MAP_BUFFER_FOR_READ |
                 COGL_FEATURE_MAP_BUFFER_FOR_WRITE);
       COGL_FLAGS_SET (ctx->features,
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gles/cogl-driver-gles.c b/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gles/cogl-driver-gles.c
index 2a1eae4dc..35f65386f 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gles/cogl-driver-gles.c
+++ b/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gles/cogl-driver-gles.c
@@ -315,7 +315,6 @@ _cogl_driver_update_features (CoglContext *context,
   COGL_FLAGS_SET (private_features,
                   COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_BLEND_CONSTANT, TRUE);
 
-  COGL_FLAGS_SET (private_features, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_VBOS, TRUE);
   COGL_FLAGS_SET (private_features, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_ANY_GL, TRUE);
   COGL_FLAGS_SET (private_features, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_ALPHA_TEXTURES, TRUE);