diff --git a/integration/tests/compressed.py b/integration/tests/compressed.py
index 2403a55b5..1357c24e5 100644
--- a/integration/tests/compressed.py
+++ b/integration/tests/compressed.py
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 from tests import app
-from flask import make_response
+from flask import make_response, request
 from io import BytesIO
 
 @app.route("/compressed/gzip")
 def compressed_gzip():
+    assert 'gzip' in request.headers['Accept-Encoding']
     result = BytesIO()
     result.write(b'\x1f\x8b\x08\x00\xed\x0c\x84\x5f\x00\x03\xf3\x48\xcd\xc9\xc9\x57\x08\xcf\x2f\xca\x49\x51\x04\x00\xa3\x1c\x29\x1c\x0c\x00\x00\x00')
     data = result.getvalue()
@@ -11,8 +12,10 @@ def compressed_gzip():
     resp.headers['Content-Encoding'] = 'gzip'
     return resp
 
+
 @app.route("/compressed/zlib")
 def compressed_zlib():
+    assert 'deflate' in request.headers['Accept-Encoding']
     result = BytesIO()
     result.write(b'\x78\x9c\xf3\x48\xcd\xc9\xc9\x57\x08\xcf\x2f\xca\x49\x51\x04\x00\x1c\x49\x04\x3e')
     data = result.getvalue()
@@ -20,10 +23,11 @@ def compressed_zlib():
     resp.headers['Content-Encoding'] = 'deflate'
     return resp
 
+
 @app.route("/compressed/brotli")
 def compressed_brotli():
+    assert 'br' in request.headers['Accept-Encoding']
     result = BytesIO()
-
     result.write(b'\x21\x2c\x00\x04\x48\x65\x6c\x6c\x6f\x20\x57\x6f\x72\x6c\x64\x21\x03')
     data = result.getvalue()
     resp = make_response(data)
@@ -33,6 +37,7 @@ def compressed_brotli():
 
 @app.route("/compressed/brotli_identity")
 def compressed_brotli_identity():
+    assert 'br' in request.headers['Accept-Encoding']
     result = BytesIO()
 
     result.write(b'\x21\x2c\x00\x04\x48\x65\x6c\x6c\x6f\x20\x57\x6f\x72\x6c\x64\x21\x03')
diff --git a/src/bin/hurl.rs b/src/bin/hurl.rs
index 7f1d4c520..afb171084 100644
--- a/src/bin/hurl.rs
+++ b/src/bin/hurl.rs
@@ -128,6 +128,12 @@ fn execute(
             let timeout = cli_options.timeout;
             let connect_timeout = cli_options.connect_timeout;
             let user = cli_options.user;
+            let compressed = cli_options.compressed;
+            let accept_encoding = if compressed {
+                Some("gzip, deflate, br".to_string())
+            } else {
+                None
+            };
             let options = http::ClientOptions {
                 follow_location,
                 max_redirect,
@@ -139,6 +145,7 @@ fn execute(
                 timeout,
                 connect_timeout,
                 user,
+                accept_encoding,
             };
             let mut client = http::Client::init(options);
 
diff --git a/src/http/client.rs b/src/http/client.rs
index 37ae97b97..e592d2825 100644
--- a/src/http/client.rs
+++ b/src/http/client.rs
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ pub struct Client {
     pub max_redirect: Option<usize>,
     pub verbose: bool,
     pub authorization: Option<String>,
+    pub accept_encoding: Option<String>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
@@ -68,6 +69,7 @@ pub struct ClientOptions {
     pub timeout: Duration,
     pub connect_timeout: Duration,
     pub user: Option<String>,
+    pub accept_encoding: Option<String>,
 }
 
 impl Client {
@@ -101,6 +103,7 @@ impl Client {
         h.connect_timeout(options.connect_timeout).unwrap();
 
         let authorization = options.user.map(|user| base64::encode(user.as_bytes()));
+        let accept_encoding = options.accept_encoding;
         Client {
             handle: Box::new(h),
             follow_location: options.follow_location,
@@ -108,6 +111,7 @@ impl Client {
             redirect_count: 0,
             verbose: options.verbose,
             authorization,
+            accept_encoding,
         }
     }
 
@@ -316,6 +320,13 @@ impl Client {
                     .unwrap();
             }
         }
+        if let Some(accept_encoding) = self.accept_encoding.clone() {
+            if get_header_values(request.headers.clone(), "Accept-Encoding".to_string()).is_empty()
+            {
+                list.append(format!("Accept-Encoding: {}", accept_encoding).as_str())
+                    .unwrap();
+            }
+        }
 
         self.handle.http_headers(list).unwrap();
     }
diff --git a/src/runner/hurl_file.rs b/src/runner/hurl_file.rs
index 68ba05b06..79e070bd7 100644
--- a/src/runner/hurl_file.rs
+++ b/src/runner/hurl_file.rs
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ use super::value::Value;
 ///        timeout: Default::default(),
 ///        connect_timeout: Default::default(),
 ///        user: None,
+///        accept_encoding: None
 /// };
 /// let mut client = http::Client::init(options);
 ///
diff --git a/tests/libcurl.rs b/tests/libcurl.rs
index c6b563cce..ad6574948 100644
--- a/tests/libcurl.rs
+++ b/tests/libcurl.rs
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ fn default_client() -> Client {
         timeout: Default::default(),
         connect_timeout: Duration::from_secs(300),
         user: None,
+        accept_encoding: None,
     };
     Client::init(options)
 }
@@ -98,11 +99,11 @@ fn test_hello() {
     assert_eq!(response.headers.len(), 4);
     assert!(response.headers.contains(&Header {
         name: "Content-Length".to_string(),
-        value: "12".to_string()
+        value: "12".to_string(),
     }));
     assert!(response.headers.contains(&Header {
         name: "Content-Type".to_string(),
-        value: "text/html; charset=utf-8".to_string()
+        value: "text/html; charset=utf-8".to_string(),
     }));
     assert_eq!(response.get_header_values("Date".to_string()).len(), 1);
 }
@@ -308,6 +309,7 @@ fn test_follow_location() {
         timeout: Default::default(),
         connect_timeout: Default::default(),
         user: None,
+        accept_encoding: None,
     };
     let mut client = Client::init(options);
     let response = client.execute(&request, 0).unwrap();
@@ -342,6 +344,7 @@ fn test_max_redirect() {
         timeout: Default::default(),
         connect_timeout: Default::default(),
         user: None,
+        accept_encoding: None,
     };
     let mut client = Client::init(options);
     let request = default_get_request("http://localhost:8000/redirect".to_string());
@@ -466,6 +469,7 @@ fn test_basic_authentication() {
         timeout: Default::default(),
         connect_timeout: Duration::from_secs(300),
         user: Some("bob:secret".to_string()),
+        accept_encoding: None,
     };
     let mut client = Client::init(options);
     let request = Request {
@@ -514,6 +518,7 @@ fn test_error_fail_to_connect() {
         timeout: Default::default(),
         connect_timeout: Default::default(),
         user: None,
+        accept_encoding: None,
     };
     let mut client = Client::init(options);
     let request = default_get_request("http://localhost:8000/hello".to_string());
@@ -534,6 +539,7 @@ fn test_error_could_not_resolve_proxy_name() {
         timeout: Default::default(),
         connect_timeout: Default::default(),
         user: None,
+        accept_encoding: None,
     };
     let mut client = Client::init(options);
     let request = default_get_request("http://localhost:8000/hello".to_string());
@@ -554,6 +560,7 @@ fn test_timeout() {
         timeout: Duration::from_millis(100),
         connect_timeout: Default::default(),
         user: None,
+        accept_encoding: None,
     };
     let mut client = Client::init(options);
     let request = default_get_request("http://localhost:8000/timeout".to_string());
@@ -561,6 +568,41 @@ fn test_timeout() {
     assert_eq!(error, HttpError::Timeout);
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn test_accept_encoding() {
+    let options = ClientOptions {
+        follow_location: false,
+        max_redirect: None,
+        cookie_input_file: None,
+        proxy: None,
+        no_proxy: None,
+        verbose: true,
+        insecure: false,
+        timeout: Default::default(),
+        connect_timeout: Duration::from_secs(300),
+        user: None,
+        accept_encoding: Some("gzip".to_string()),
+    };
+    let mut client = Client::init(options);
+    let request = Request {
+        method: Method::Get,
+        url: "http://localhost:8000/compressed/gzip".to_string(),
+        headers: vec![],
+        querystring: vec![],
+        form: vec![],
+        multipart: vec![],
+        cookies: vec![],
+        body: vec![],
+        content_type: None,
+    };
+    let response = client.execute(&request, 0).unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(response.status, 200);
+    assert!(response.headers.contains(&Header {
+        name: "Content-Length".to_string(),
+        value: "32".to_string(),
+    }));
+}
+
 //
 // TODO: find a way to test it locally
 // #[test]
@@ -576,13 +618,13 @@ fn test_connect_timeout() {
         timeout: Default::default(),
         connect_timeout: Duration::from_secs(1),
         user: None,
+        accept_encoding: None,
     };
     let mut client = Client::init(options);
     let request = default_get_request("http://example.com:81".to_string());
     let error = client.execute(&request, 0).err().unwrap();
     assert_eq!(error, HttpError::Timeout);
 }
-
 // endregion
 
 // region cookie
@@ -701,6 +743,7 @@ fn test_cookie_file() {
         timeout: Default::default(),
         connect_timeout: Default::default(),
         user: None,
+        accept_encoding: None,
     };
     let mut client = Client::init(options);
     let request = default_get_request(
@@ -729,6 +772,7 @@ fn test_proxy() {
         timeout: Default::default(),
         connect_timeout: Default::default(),
         user: None,
+        accept_encoding: None,
     };
     let mut client = Client::init(options);
     let request = default_get_request("http://localhost:8000/hello".to_string());
diff --git a/tests/runner.rs b/tests/runner.rs
index 4dcf540a4..34cd21be0 100644
--- a/tests/runner.rs
+++ b/tests/runner.rs
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ fn test_hurl_file() {
         timeout: Default::default(),
         connect_timeout: Default::default(),
         user: None,
+        accept_encoding: None,
     };
     let mut client = http::Client::init(options);
     let mut lines: Vec<&str> = regex::Regex::new(r"\n|\r\n")
@@ -161,6 +162,7 @@ fn test_hello() {
         timeout: Default::default(),
         connect_timeout: Default::default(),
         user: None,
+        accept_encoding: None,
     };
     let mut client = http::Client::init(options);
     let source_info = SourceInfo {