diff --git a/_pytest/cacheprovider.py b/_pytest/cacheprovider.py
index 7fc08fff368..cf28f657ef4 100755
--- a/_pytest/cacheprovider.py
+++ b/_pytest/cacheprovider.py
@@ -8,13 +8,14 @@
 import py
 import pytest
 import json
-from os.path import sep as _sep, altsep as _altsep
+from os.path import sep as _sep, altsep as _altsep, \
+                    isabs as _isabs, expanduser as _expanduser
 
 
 class Cache(object):
     def __init__(self, config):
         self.config = config
-        self._cachedir = config.rootdir.join(".cache")
+        self._cachedir = Cache.cache_dir_from_config(config)
         self.trace = config.trace.root.get("cache")
         if config.getvalue("cacheclear"):
             self.trace("clearing cachedir")
@@ -22,6 +23,13 @@ def __init__(self, config):
                 self._cachedir.remove()
             self._cachedir.mkdir()
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def cache_dir_from_config(config):
+        cache_dir = config.getini("cache_dir")
+        if _isabs(_expanduser(cache_dir)):
+            raise ValueError("cache dirname must be relative path, not absolute")
+        return config.rootdir.join(cache_dir)
+
     def makedir(self, name):
         """ return a directory path object with the given name.  If the
         directory does not yet exist, it will be created.  You can use it
@@ -171,6 +179,9 @@ def pytest_addoption(parser):
     group.addoption(
         '--cache-clear', action='store_true', dest="cacheclear",
         help="remove all cache contents at start of test run.")
+    parser.addini(
+        "cache_dir", default='.cache',
+        help="directory name for cache content.")
 
 
 def pytest_cmdline_main(config):
diff --git a/doc/en/cache.rst b/doc/en/cache.rst
index 688b6dd0468..e4071a8f8ab 100644
--- a/doc/en/cache.rst
+++ b/doc/en/cache.rst
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+.. _`cache_provider`:
+
 Cache: working with cross-testrun state
 =======================================
 
diff --git a/doc/en/customize.rst b/doc/en/customize.rst
index ce0a36c11a2..7b5148b09f1 100644
--- a/doc/en/customize.rst
+++ b/doc/en/customize.rst
@@ -262,3 +262,11 @@ Builtin configuration file options
 
    This tells pytest to ignore deprecation warnings and turn all other warnings
    into errors. For more information please refer to :ref:`warnings`.
+
+.. confval:: cache_dir
+
+   .. versionadded:: 3.2
+
+   Sets a directory name where stores content of cache plugin. The directory is
+   created in rootdir. Default name is ``.cache``. For more information about
+   cache please refer to :ref:`cache_provider`.
diff --git a/testing/test_cache.py b/testing/test_cache.py
index 600b5e6d9fc..33afc4899db 100755
--- a/testing/test_cache.py
+++ b/testing/test_cache.py
@@ -87,7 +87,28 @@ def test_cachefuncarg(cache):
         assert result.ret == 0
         result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["*1 passed*"])
 
+    def test_custom_cache_dirname(self, testdir):
+        cache_dir = 'custom_cache_dirname'
+        testdir.makeini("""
+            [pytest]
+            cache_dir = {cache_dir}
+        """.format(cache_dir=cache_dir))
+        testdir.makepyfile(test_errored='def test_error():\n    assert False')
+        testdir.runpytest()
+        assert testdir.tmpdir.join(cache_dir).isdir()
 
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize('cache_dir', [
+        os.path.abspath('tmp'),
+        pytest.param(os.path.join('~', 'tmp'), marks=pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform == 'win32',
+                                                                        reason='test for linux pathes')),
+    ])
+    def test_cache_dirname_fail_on_abs(self, testdir, cache_dir):
+        testdir.makeini("""
+            [pytest]
+            cache_dir = {cache_dir}
+        """.format(cache_dir=cache_dir))
+        pytest.raises(ValueError, "testdir.parseconfigure()",
+                      message="cache dirname must be relative path, not absolute")
 
 def test_cache_reportheader(testdir):
     testdir.makepyfile("""