diff --git a/internal/storage/driver/cfgmaps.go b/internal/storage/driver/cfgmaps.go
index d4886361f..73076fdfe 100644
--- a/internal/storage/driver/cfgmaps.go
+++ b/internal/storage/driver/cfgmaps.go
@@ -255,6 +255,7 @@ func (cfgmaps *ConfigMaps) Delete(key string) (rls release.Releaser, err error)
 //	"status"         - status of the release (see pkg/release/status.go for variants)
 //	"owner"          - owner of the configmap, currently "helm".
 //	"name"           - name of the release.
+//	"helm.sh/release-version" - release object schema version, see releaseVersionLabel.
 func newConfigMapsObject(key string, rls *rspb.Release, lbs labels) (*v1.ConfigMap, error) {
 	const owner = "helm"
 
@@ -276,6 +277,7 @@ func newConfigMapsObject(key string, rls *rspb.Release, lbs labels) (*v1.ConfigM
 	lbs.set("owner", owner)
 	lbs.set("status", rls.Info.Status.String())
 	lbs.set("version", strconv.Itoa(rls.Version))
+	lbs.set(releaseVersionLabel, releaseVersion)
 
 	// create and return configmap object
 	return &v1.ConfigMap{
diff --git a/internal/storage/driver/cfgmaps_test.go b/internal/storage/driver/cfgmaps_test.go
index ddec42965..5b97e8213 100644
--- a/internal/storage/driver/cfgmaps_test.go
+++ b/internal/storage/driver/cfgmaps_test.go
@@ -72,6 +72,24 @@ func TestUncompressedConfigMapGet(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equalf(t, rel, got, "Expected {%v}, got {%v}", rel, got)
 }
 
+func TestConfigMapReleaseVersionLabel(t *testing.T) {
+	vers := 1
+	name := "smug-pigeon"
+	namespace := "default"
+	key := testKey(name, vers)
+	rel := releaseStub(name, vers, namespace, common.StatusDeployed)
+
+	cfgmap, err := newConfigMapsObject(key, rel, nil)
+	require.NoError(t, err, "Failed to create configmap")
+
+	// ConfigMaps have no Type field, so the release schema version is a label.
+	assert.Equal(t, releaseVersion, cfgmap.Labels[releaseVersionLabel])
+
+	// The label is a system label and must not leak into the release's own labels.
+	assert.True(t, isSystemLabel(releaseVersionLabel))
+	assert.NotContains(t, filterSystemLabels(cfgmap.Labels), releaseVersionLabel)
+}
+
 func convertReleaserToV1(t *testing.T, rel release.Releaser) *rspb.Release {
 	t.Helper()
 	switch r := rel.(type) {
diff --git a/internal/storage/driver/util.go b/internal/storage/driver/util.go
index c15f9d746..10cf1adf1 100644
--- a/internal/storage/driver/util.go
+++ b/internal/storage/driver/util.go
@@ -31,7 +31,17 @@ var b64 = base64.StdEncoding
 
 var magicGzip = []byte{0x1f, 0x8b, 0x08}
 
-var systemLabels = []string{"name", "owner", "status", "version", "createdAt", "modifiedAt"}
+// releaseVersionLabel carries the release object schema version on storage
+// objects that have no native field for it. Secrets record it in their Type
+// field, but ConfigMaps have no equivalent, so the marker is a label instead.
+// Absence of the label means release v1, so records written before this label
+// existed continue to read correctly.
+const releaseVersionLabel = "helm.sh/release-version"
+
+// releaseVersion is the schema version written by this package.
+const releaseVersion = "v2"
+
+var systemLabels = []string{"name", "owner", "status", "version", "createdAt", "modifiedAt", releaseVersionLabel}
 
 // encodeRelease encodes a release returning a base64 encoded
 // gzipped string representation, or error.
diff --git a/pkg/storage/storage.go b/pkg/storage/storage.go
index 1d7fb9103..04e863e2c 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/storage.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/storage.go
@@ -30,11 +30,23 @@ import (
 	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/storage/driver"
 )
 
-// HelmStorageType is the type field of the Kubernetes storage object which stores the Helm release
-// version. It is modified slightly replacing the '/': sh.helm/release.v1
-// Note: The version 'v1' is incremented if the release object metadata is
-// modified between major releases.
-// This constant is used as a prefix for the Kubernetes storage object name.
+// HelmStorageType is the prefix used for the name of the Kubernetes storage object
+// that holds a release. It is derived from that object's 'Type' field
+// (helm.sh/release.v1) by reversing the domain and replacing the '/' with a '.'.
+//
+// The prefix is deliberately decoupled from the 'Type' field
+// (helm.sh/release.v1, helm.sh/release.v2). Type records the schema
+// of the encoded release body, so it tracks the release object version. This
+// prefix only keeps release names unique, and was added to stop Helm 3 records
+// colliding with Helm 2 ones (https://github.com/helm/helm/issues/6435).
+//
+// The prefix is therefore not incremented with the release object version.
+// Kubernetes objects cannot be renamed in place, so doing so would mean
+// recreating every record and deleting the old one, per revision, per namespace.
+// Until that completed, Get, Update and Delete would all miss, since they address
+// objects by exact key, while List, Query and History would keep returning the old
+// records because they select on labels. The only thing gained is seeing the
+// release object version in the object name, which Type already records.
 const HelmStorageType = "sh.helm.release.v1"
 
 // Storage represents a storage engine for a Release.