diff --git a/src/main/java/org/openrewrite/java/migrate/lombok/LombokValToFinalVar.java b/src/main/java/org/openrewrite/java/migrate/lombok/LombokValToFinalVar.java
index 2ba6a51c4b..821f9c2f94 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/openrewrite/java/migrate/lombok/LombokValToFinalVar.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/openrewrite/java/migrate/lombok/LombokValToFinalVar.java
@@ -19,17 +19,19 @@
 import org.openrewrite.*;
 import org.openrewrite.internal.ListUtils;
 import org.openrewrite.java.JavaIsoVisitor;
-import org.openrewrite.java.JavaTemplate;
 import org.openrewrite.java.search.MaybeUsesImport;
 import org.openrewrite.java.search.UsesType;
 import org.openrewrite.java.service.AnnotationService;
 import org.openrewrite.java.tree.J;
+import org.openrewrite.java.tree.Space;
 import org.openrewrite.java.tree.TypeTree;
 import org.openrewrite.java.tree.TypeUtils;
+import org.openrewrite.marker.Markers;
 
 import java.time.Duration;
 import java.util.Set;
 
+import static java.util.Collections.emptyList;
 import static java.util.Collections.singleton;
 
 public class LombokValToFinalVar extends Recipe {
@@ -79,27 +81,32 @@ public J.VariableDeclarations visitVariableDeclarations(J.VariableDeclarations m
                     (varDecls.getTypeExpression() instanceof J.Identifier && "val".equals(((J.Identifier) varDecls.getTypeExpression()).getSimpleName()))) {
                 maybeRemoveImport(LOMBOK_VAL);
 
-                J.VariableDeclarations.NamedVariable nv = mv.getVariables().get(0);
+                // Manually transform to `var`, rather than using a JavaTemplate, so that the initializer
+                // is carried over untouched; reprinting it can lose type information, such as the type
+                // variable in a cast like `(T) o`.
+                J.VariableDeclarations.NamedVariable nv = varDecls.getVariables().get(0);
+                TypeTree typeExpression = varDecls.getTypeExpression();
+                J.Identifier varType = new J.Identifier(Tree.randomId(),
+                        typeExpression.getPrefix(),
+                        typeExpression.getMarkers(),
+                        service(AnnotationService.class).getAllAnnotations(getCursor()),
+                        "var",
+                        nv.getType(),
+                        null);
                 if (nv.getInitializer() == null) {
-                    // manually transform to var, as val in this case has no sufficient type information
-                    // and the java template parsing would fail, see https://github.com/openrewrite/rewrite/pull/5637
-                    TypeTree typeExpression = varDecls.getTypeExpression();
-                    J.Identifier varType = new J.Identifier(Tree.randomId(),
-                            typeExpression.getPrefix(),
-                            typeExpression.getMarkers(),
-                            service(AnnotationService.class).getAllAnnotations(getCursor()),
-                            "var",
-                            nv.getType(),
-                            null);
+                    // `val` in this case has no sufficient type information, so it becomes a plain `var`,
+                    // see https://github.com/openrewrite/rewrite/pull/5637
                     return varDecls.withTypeExpression(varType);
                 }
 
-                varDecls = JavaTemplate.builder("final var #{} = #{any()};")
-                        .contextSensitive()
-                        .build()
-                        .apply(updateCursor(varDecls), varDecls.getCoordinates().replace(), nv.getSimpleName(), nv.getInitializer());
-                varDecls = varDecls.withVariables(ListUtils.map(varDecls.getVariables(), namedVar -> namedVar
-                        .withInitializer(namedVar.getInitializer().withPrefix(nv.getInitializer().getPrefix()))));
+                if (varDecls.getModifiers().stream().noneMatch(m -> m.getType() == J.Modifier.Type.Final)) {
+                    varDecls = varDecls.withModifiers(ListUtils.concat(
+                            new J.Modifier(Tree.randomId(), typeExpression.getPrefix(), Markers.EMPTY,
+                                    null, J.Modifier.Type.Final, emptyList()),
+                            varDecls.getModifiers()));
+                    varType = varType.withPrefix(Space.SINGLE_SPACE);
+                }
+                varDecls = varDecls.withTypeExpression(varType);
             }
             return varDecls;
         }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/openrewrite/java/migrate/UpgradeToJava25Test.java b/src/test/java/org/openrewrite/java/migrate/UpgradeToJava25Test.java
index c48df08575..6b7fd95cd0 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/openrewrite/java/migrate/UpgradeToJava25Test.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/openrewrite/java/migrate/UpgradeToJava25Test.java
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ void upgradesMavenPluginsForJava25() {
               spec -> spec.after(actual ->
                 assertThat(actual)
                   .contains("<maven.compiler.release>25</maven.compiler.release>")
-                  .containsPattern("maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>\\s*<version>3\\.15\\.")
+                  .containsPattern("maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>\\s*<version>3\\.(1[5-9]|[2-9]\\d)\\.")
                   .containsPattern("maven-surefire-plugin</artifactId>\\s*<version>3\\.5\\.")
                   .containsPattern("maven-failsafe-plugin</artifactId>\\s*<version>3\\.5\\.")
                   .contains("<argLine>-javaagent:${org.mockito:mockito-core:jar}</argLine>")
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/openrewrite/java/migrate/lombok/LombokValToFinalVarTest.java b/src/test/java/org/openrewrite/java/migrate/lombok/LombokValToFinalVarTest.java
index bd4c93226f..2a215d0316 100755
--- a/src/test/java/org/openrewrite/java/migrate/lombok/LombokValToFinalVarTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/openrewrite/java/migrate/lombok/LombokValToFinalVarTest.java
@@ -511,4 +511,58 @@ void bar() {
           )
         );
     }
+
+    @Test
+    void preserveCast() {
+        //language=java
+        rewriteRun(
+          version(
+            java(
+              """
+                import lombok.val;
+                class CastDemo {
+                    void bar() {
+                        val foo = (String) "foo";
+                    }
+                }
+                """,
+              """
+                class CastDemo {
+                    void bar() {
+                        final var foo = (String) "foo";
+                    }
+                }
+                """
+            ),
+            17
+          )
+        );
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void preserveGenericCast() {
+        //language=java
+        rewriteRun(
+          version(
+            java(
+              """
+                import lombok.val;
+                class GenericCastDemo<T> {
+                    void bar(Object o) {
+                        val foo = (T) o;
+                    }
+                }
+                """,
+              """
+                class GenericCastDemo<T> {
+                    void bar(Object o) {
+                        final var foo = (T) o;
+                    }
+                }
+                """
+            ),
+            17
+          )
+        );
+    }
 }