diff --git a/components/esp_netif/include/esp_netif.h b/components/esp_netif/include/esp_netif.h
index 4df514d0e07..849e5fa87fe 100644
--- a/components/esp_netif/include/esp_netif.h
+++ b/components/esp_netif/include/esp_netif.h
@@ -246,11 +246,11 @@ void esp_netif_action_remove_ip6_address(void *esp_netif, esp_event_base_t base,
 /**
  * @brief Manual configuration of the default netif
  *
- * This API overrides the automatic configuration of the default interface based on the route_prio
- * If the selected netif is set default using this API, no other interface could be set-default disregarding
- * its route_prio number (unless the selected netif gets destroyed)
+ * This API allows overriding the automatic configuration of the default interface based on route_prio.
+ * The passed netif will be set as default, regardless of route_prio, until the netif gets destroyed.
+ * When passing NULL, the interface with the highest route_prio becomes default, and the override is removed.
  *
- * @param[in] esp_netif Handle to esp-netif instance
+ * @param[in] esp_netif Handle to esp-netif instance, or NULL
  * @return ESP_OK on success
  */
 esp_err_t esp_netif_set_default_netif(esp_netif_t *esp_netif);
@@ -1010,6 +1010,8 @@ int esp_netif_get_route_prio(esp_netif_t *esp_netif);
 /**
  * @brief Configures routing priority
  *
+ * To re-select the default interface based on the new routing priority, call esp_netif_set_default_netif(NULL).
+ *
  * @param[in]  esp_netif Handle to esp-netif instance
  * @param[in]  route_prio Required route priority for esp-netif instance
  *
diff --git a/components/esp_netif/lwip/esp_netif_lwip.c b/components/esp_netif/lwip/esp_netif_lwip.c
index 7258bcb0504..1d97405f477 100644
--- a/components/esp_netif/lwip/esp_netif_lwip.c
+++ b/components/esp_netif/lwip/esp_netif_lwip.c
@@ -343,6 +343,11 @@ static esp_err_t esp_netif_update_default_netif_lwip(esp_netif_api_msg_t *msg)
 
     ESP_LOGV(TAG, "%s %p", __func__, esp_netif);
 
+    if (action == ESP_NETIF_SET_DEFAULT && esp_netif == NULL) {
+        // SET_DEFAULT with NULL: perform auto update and remove override
+        s_is_last_default_esp_netif_overridden = false;
+        action = ESP_NETIF_STOPPED;
+    }
     if (s_is_last_default_esp_netif_overridden && action != ESP_NETIF_SET_DEFAULT) {
         // check if manually configured default interface hasn't been destroyed
         s_last_default_esp_netif = esp_netif_is_active(s_last_default_esp_netif);
diff --git a/components/esp_netif/test_apps/test_app_esp_netif/main/esp_netif_test_lwip.c b/components/esp_netif/test_apps/test_app_esp_netif/main/esp_netif_test_lwip.c
index f76cf9a5fc5..229254c9cd8 100644
--- a/components/esp_netif/test_apps/test_app_esp_netif/main/esp_netif_test_lwip.c
+++ b/components/esp_netif/test_apps/test_app_esp_netif/main/esp_netif_test_lwip.c
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2022-2025 Espressif Systems (Shanghai) CO LTD
+ * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2022-2026 Espressif Systems (Shanghai) CO LTD
  *
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: Unlicense OR CC0-1.0
  */
@@ -567,6 +567,8 @@ TEST(esp_netif, get_set_hostname)
  * - We create 10 netifs with prios: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 0, 0, ...., 0 (netifs[nr_of_netifs/2] has max_prio)
  * - We check the default netif is correct after bringing it down/up, overriding it
  * - We destroy the default netif and check again
+ * - We set and clear a manual override, then check if we are back to using auto-selection
+ * - We modify route_prio without changing the interface state, then explicitly re-evaluate the default netif
  * - We destroy the remaining netifs
  */
 TEST(esp_netif, route_priority)
@@ -615,6 +617,22 @@ TEST(esp_netif, route_priority)
     esp_netif_action_stop(netifs[max_prio_i], 0, 0, 0);
     // ...so the current default is on (max_prio-1)
     TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_PTR(esp_netif_get_netif_impl(netifs[max_prio_i - 1]), netif_default);
+
+    // override the default with a low-prio netif, then clear the override
+    // and check if the auto-selected default is restored
+    int low_prio_i = max_prio_i + 1;  // netif with route_prio == 0 that is still up
+    esp_netif_set_default_netif(netifs[low_prio_i]);
+    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_PTR(esp_netif_get_netif_impl(netifs[low_prio_i]), netif_default);
+    TEST_ESP_OK(esp_netif_set_default_netif(NULL)); // remove override
+    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_PTR(esp_netif_get_netif_impl(netifs[max_prio_i - 1]), netif_default);
+
+    // change route_prio at runtime: the default netif does not change until we ask for re-evaluation
+    esp_netif_set_route_prio(netifs[low_prio_i], max_prio_i + 10);
+    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_PTR(esp_netif_get_netif_impl(netifs[max_prio_i - 1]), netif_default);
+    // trigger default netif re-evaluation
+    TEST_ESP_OK(esp_netif_set_default_netif(NULL));
+    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_PTR(esp_netif_get_netif_impl(netifs[low_prio_i]), netif_default);
+
     // destroy one by one and check it's been removed
     for (int i=0; i < override_prio_i; ++i) {
         esp_netif_destroy(netifs[i]);