diff --git a/src/Generator/DocBlock/Tag/VarTag.php b/src/Generator/DocBlock/Tag/VarTag.php
index 98a03422..5dbf2ee2 100644
--- a/src/Generator/DocBlock/Tag/VarTag.php
+++ b/src/Generator/DocBlock/Tag/VarTag.php
@@ -14,17 +14,17 @@ class VarTag extends AbstractTypeableTag implements TagInterface
     /**
      * @var string|null
      */
-    protected $variableName;
+    private $variableName;
 
     /**
-     * @param string $variableName
+     * @param string|null     $variableName
      * @param string|string[] $types
-     * @param string $description
+     * @param string|null     $description
      */
-    public function __construct($variableName = null, $types = [], $description = null)
+    public function __construct(?string $variableName = null, $types = [], ?string $description = null)
     {
-        if (!empty($variableName)) {
-            $this->setVariableName($variableName);
+        if (null !== $variableName) {
+            $this->variableName = ltrim($variableName, '$');
         }
 
         parent::__construct($types, $description);
@@ -39,13 +39,15 @@ public function getName()
     }
 
     /**
-     * @param string $variableName
-     * @return self
+     * @internal this code is only public for compatibility with the
+     *           @see \Zend\Code\Generator\DocBlock\TagManager, which
+     *           uses setters
      */
-    public function setVariableName($variableName)
+    public function setVariableName(?string $variableName) : void
     {
-        $this->variableName = ltrim($variableName, '$');
-        return $this;
+        if (null !== $variableName) {
+            $this->variableName = ltrim($variableName, '$');
+        }
     }
 
     /**
@@ -59,11 +61,11 @@ public function getVariableName()
     /**
      * {@inheritDoc}
      */
-    public function generate()
+    public function generate() : string
     {
         return '@var'
             . ((!empty($this->types)) ? ' ' . $this->getTypesAsString() : '')
-            . ((!empty($this->variableName)) ? ' $' . $this->variableName : '')
+            . (null !== $this->variableName ? ' $' . $this->variableName : '')
             . ((!empty($this->description)) ? ' ' . $this->description : '');
     }
 }
diff --git a/test/Generator/DocBlock/Tag/VarTagTest.php b/test/Generator/DocBlock/Tag/VarTagTest.php
index 45c74e70..4a0ee06d 100644
--- a/test/Generator/DocBlock/Tag/VarTagTest.php
+++ b/test/Generator/DocBlock/Tag/VarTagTest.php
@@ -9,57 +9,56 @@
 
 namespace ZendTest\Code\Generator\DocBlock\Tag;
 
+use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
 use Zend\Code\Generator\DocBlock\Tag\VarTag;
 use Zend\Code\Generator\DocBlock\TagManager;
+use Zend\Code\Reflection\DocBlock\Tag\VarTag as ReflectionVarTag;
 use Zend\Code\Reflection\DocBlockReflection;
 
 /**
- * @group Zend_Code_Generator
- * @group Zend_Code_Generator_Php
+ * @covers \Zend\Code\Generator\DocBlock\Tag\VarTag
  */
-class VarTagTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
+class VarTagTest extends TestCase
 {
     /**
      * @var VarTag
      */
-    protected $tag;
+    private $tag;
+
     /**
      * @var TagManager
      */
-    protected $tagmanager;
+    private $tagManager;
 
-    public function setUp()
+    protected function setUp() : void
     {
-        $this->tag = new VarTag();
-        $this->tagmanager = new TagManager();
-        $this->tagmanager->initializeDefaultTags();
-    }
+        parent::setUp();
 
-    public function tearDown()
-    {
-        $this->tag = null;
-        $this->tagmanager = null;
+        $this->tag        = new VarTag();
+        $this->tagManager = new TagManager();
+
+        $this->tagManager->initializeDefaultTags();
     }
 
-    public function testGetterAndSetterPersistValue()
+    public function testGetterAndSetterPersistValue() : void
     {
-        $this->tag->setVariableName('variable');
-        $this->assertEquals('variable', $this->tag->getVariableName());
-    }
+        $tag = new VarTag('variable');
 
+        self::assertSame('variable', $tag->getVariableName());
+    }
 
-    public function testGetterForVariableNameTrimsCorrectly()
+    public function testGetterForVariableNameTrimsCorrectly() : void
     {
         $this->tag->setVariableName('$variable$');
         $this->assertEquals('variable$', $this->tag->getVariableName());
     }
 
-    public function testNameIsCorrect()
+    public function testNameIsCorrect() : void
     {
         $this->assertEquals('var', $this->tag->getName());
     }
 
-    public function testParamProducesCorrectDocBlockLine()
+    public function testParamProducesCorrectDocBlockLine() : void
     {
         $this->tag->setVariableName('variable');
         $this->tag->setTypes('string[]');
@@ -67,25 +66,28 @@ public function testParamProducesCorrectDocBlockLine()
         $this->assertEquals('@var string[] $variable description', $this->tag->generate());
     }
 
-    public function testConstructorWithOptions()
+    public function testConstructorWithOptions() : void
     {
         $this->tag->setOptions([
             'variableName' => 'foo',
-            'types' => ['string'],
-            'description' => 'description'
+            'types'        => ['string'],
+            'description'  => 'description',
         ]);
         $tagWithOptionsFromConstructor = new VarTag('foo', ['string'], 'description');
         $this->assertEquals($this->tag->generate(), $tagWithOptionsFromConstructor->generate());
     }
 
-    public function testCreatingTagFromReflection()
+    public function testCreatingTagFromReflection() : void
     {
-        $docreflection = new DocBlockReflection('/** @var int $foo description');
-        $reflectionTag = $docreflection->getTag('var');
+        $reflectionTag = (new DocBlockReflection('/** @var int $foo description'))
+            ->getTag('var');
+
+        self::assertInstanceOf(ReflectionVarTag::class, $reflectionTag);
 
         /** @var VarTag $tag */
-        $tag = $this->tagmanager->createTagFromReflection($reflectionTag);
-        $this->assertInstanceOf('Zend\Code\Generator\DocBlock\Tag\VarTag', $tag);
+        $tag = $this->tagManager->createTagFromReflection($reflectionTag);
+
+        $this->assertInstanceOf(VarTag::class, $tag);
         $this->assertEquals('foo', $tag->getVariableName());
         $this->assertEquals('description', $tag->getDescription());
         $this->assertEquals('int', $tag->getTypesAsString());
diff --git a/test/Generator/PropertyGeneratorTest.php b/test/Generator/PropertyGeneratorTest.php
index 22cea5a1..4ae0f074 100644
--- a/test/Generator/PropertyGeneratorTest.php
+++ b/test/Generator/PropertyGeneratorTest.php
@@ -10,14 +10,13 @@
 namespace ZendTest\Code\Generator;
 
 use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
-use Zend\Code\Generator\DocBlock\Tag\GenericTag;
+use Zend\Code\Generator\DocBlock\Tag\VarTag;
 use Zend\Code\Generator\DocBlockGenerator;
 use Zend\Code\Generator\Exception\RuntimeException;
 use Zend\Code\Generator\PropertyGenerator;
 use Zend\Code\Generator\PropertyValueGenerator;
 use Zend\Code\Generator\ValueGenerator;
 use Zend\Code\Reflection\ClassReflection;
-use Zend\Code\Reflection\DocBlock\Tag\VarTag;
 
 /**
  * @group Zend_Code_Generator
diff --git a/test/Reflection/DocBlock/Tag/VarTagTest.php b/test/Reflection/DocBlock/Tag/VarTagTest.php
index 402312e7..6c7f7425 100644
--- a/test/Reflection/DocBlock/Tag/VarTagTest.php
+++ b/test/Reflection/DocBlock/Tag/VarTagTest.php
@@ -9,13 +9,14 @@
 
 namespace ZendTest\Code\Reflection\DocBlock\Tag;
 
+use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
 use Zend\Code\Reflection\DocBlock\Tag\VarTag;
 
 /**
  * @group      Zend_Reflection
  * @group      Zend_Reflection_DocBlock
  */
-class VarTagTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
+class VarTagTest extends TestCase
 {
     public function testParseName()
     {