diff --git a/dvc/ui/__init__.py b/dvc/ui/__init__.py
index 1b6cd6c8b..164a859ad 100644
--- a/dvc/ui/__init__.py
+++ b/dvc/ui/__init__.py
@@ -29,13 +29,19 @@ class Console:
         error: TextIO = None,
         enable: bool = False,
     ) -> None:
-        self._input: TextIO = sys.stdin
-        self._output: TextIO = output or sys.stdout
-        self._error: TextIO = error or sys.stderr
-
+        self._output: Optional[TextIO] = output
+        self._error: Optional[TextIO] = error
         self.formatter: Formatter = formatter or Formatter()
         self._enabled: bool = enable
 
+    @property
+    def output(self) -> TextIO:
+        return self._output or sys.stdout
+
+    @property
+    def error_output(self) -> TextIO:
+        return self._error or sys.stderr
+
     def enable(self):
         self._enabled = True
 
@@ -61,7 +67,7 @@ class Console:
             style=style,
             sep=sep,
             end=end,
-            file=self._error,
+            file=self.error_output,
             flush=flush,
         )
 
@@ -77,12 +83,12 @@ class Console:
         if not self._enabled:
             return
 
-        file = file or self._output
+        file = file or self.output
         values = (self.formatter.format(obj, style=style) for obj in objects)
         return print(*values, sep=sep, end=end, file=file, flush=flush)
 
     def progress(self, *args, **kwargs) -> Tqdm:
-        kwargs.setdefault("file", self._error)
+        kwargs.setdefault("file", self.error_output)
         return Tqdm(*args, **kwargs)
 
     def prompt(
@@ -125,7 +131,7 @@ class Console:
         """rich_console is only set to stdout for now."""
         from rich import console
 
-        return console.Console(file=self._output)
+        return console.Console(file=self.output)
 
     def rich_table(self, pager: bool = True):
         pass
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index e5d906fa1..4a000c5b4 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -43,6 +43,13 @@ def reset_loglevel(request, caplog):
         yield
 
 
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def enable_ui():
+    from dvc.ui import ui
+
+    ui.enable()
+
+
 @pytest.fixture(scope="session", autouse=True)
 def _close_pools():
     from dvc.fs.pool import close_pools
diff --git a/tests/unit/ui/__init__.py b/tests/unit/ui/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/tests/unit/ui/test_console.py b/tests/unit/ui/test_console.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9e3680493
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/ui/test_console.py
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+from pytest import CaptureFixture
+
+from dvc.ui import Console
+
+
+def test_write(capsys: CaptureFixture[str]):
+    """Test that ui.write works."""
+    console = Console(enable=True)
+    message = "hello world"
+    console.write(message)
+    console.error_write(message)
+
+    captured = capsys.readouterr()
+    assert captured.out == f"{message}\n"
+    assert captured.err == f"{message}\n"
+
+
+def test_capsys_works(capsys: CaptureFixture[str]):
+    """Sanity check that capsys can capture outputs from a global ui."""
+    from dvc.ui import ui
+
+    message = "hello world"
+    ui.write(message)
+    ui.error_write(message)
+
+    captured = capsys.readouterr()
+    assert captured.out == f"{message}\n"
+    assert captured.err == f"{message}\n"