diff --git a/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/uPlot/config/UPlotAxisBuilder.ts b/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/uPlot/config/UPlotAxisBuilder.ts
index f446d8129a0..d7435b2514e 100644
--- a/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/uPlot/config/UPlotAxisBuilder.ts
+++ b/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/uPlot/config/UPlotAxisBuilder.ts
@@ -213,7 +213,8 @@ export class UPlotAxisBuilder extends PlotConfigBuilder<AxisProps, Axis> {
   }
 }
 
-const timeUnitSize = {
+/** @internal */
+export const timeUnitSize = {
   second: 1000,
   minute: 60 * 1000,
   hour: 60 * 60 * 1000,
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/bars.ts b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/bars.ts
index 541d5c3f307..af1d287eae7 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/bars.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/bars.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import uPlot, { Axis, AlignedData, Scale } from 'uplot';
 
-import { DataFrame, GrafanaTheme2, TimeZone } from '@grafana/data';
+import { DataFrame, dateTimeFormat, GrafanaTheme2, systemDateFormats, TimeZone } from '@grafana/data';
 import { alpha } from '@grafana/data/src/themes/colorManipulator';
 import {
   StackingMode,
@@ -11,9 +11,11 @@ import {
   VizLegendOptions,
 } from '@grafana/schema';
 import { measureText, PlotTooltipInterpolator } from '@grafana/ui';
-import { formatTime } from '@grafana/ui/src/components/uPlot/config/UPlotAxisBuilder';
+import { timeUnitSize } from '@grafana/ui/src/components/uPlot/config/UPlotAxisBuilder';
 import { StackingGroup, preparePlotData2 } from '@grafana/ui/src/components/uPlot/utils';
 
+const intervals = systemDateFormats.interval;
+
 import { distribute, SPACE_BETWEEN } from './distribute';
 import { findRects, intersects, pointWithin, Quadtree, Rect } from './quadtree';
 
@@ -130,6 +132,7 @@ export function getConfig(opts: BarsOptions, theme: GrafanaTheme2) {
     showValue,
     xSpacing = 0,
     hoverMulti = false,
+    timeZone = 'browser',
   } = opts;
   const isXHorizontal = xOri === ScaleOrientation.Horizontal;
   const hasAutoValueSize = !Boolean(opts.text?.valueSize);
@@ -179,22 +182,25 @@ export function getConfig(opts: BarsOptions, theme: GrafanaTheme2) {
   // the splits passed into here are data[0] values looked up by the indices returned from splits()
   const xValues: Axis.Values = (u, splits, axisIdx, foundSpace, foundIncr) => {
     if (opts.xTimeAuto) {
-      // bit of a hack:
-      // temporarily set x scale range to temporal (as expected by formatTime()) rather than ordinal
-      let xScale = u.scales.x;
-      let oMin = xScale.min;
-      let oMax = xScale.max;
+      let format = intervals.year;
 
-      xScale.min = u.data[0][0];
-      xScale.max = u.data[0][u.data[0].length - 1];
+      if (foundIncr < timeUnitSize.second) {
+        format = intervals.millisecond;
+      } else if (foundIncr < timeUnitSize.minute) {
+        format = intervals.second;
+      } else if (foundIncr < timeUnitSize.hour) {
+        format = intervals.minute;
+      } else if (foundIncr < timeUnitSize.day) {
+        format = intervals.hour;
+      } else if (foundIncr < timeUnitSize.month) {
+        format = intervals.day;
+      } else if (foundIncr < timeUnitSize.year) {
+        format = intervals.month;
+      } else {
+        format = intervals.year;
+      }
 
-      let vals = formatTime(u, splits, axisIdx, foundSpace, foundIncr);
-
-      // revert
-      xScale.min = oMin;
-      xScale.max = oMax;
-
-      return vals;
+      return splits.map((v) => (v == null ? '' : dateTimeFormat(v, { format, timeZone })));
     }
 
     return splits.map((v) => (isXHorizontal ? formatShortValue(0, v) : formatValue(0, v)));