diff --git a/src/ip6-manager/nm-ip6-manager.c b/src/ip6-manager/nm-ip6-manager.c
index 18f78faf06..7d58e29684 100644
--- a/src/ip6-manager/nm-ip6-manager.c
+++ b/src/ip6-manager/nm-ip6-manager.c
@@ -1270,8 +1270,6 @@ nm_ip6_manager_get_ip6_config (NMIP6Manager *manager, int ifindex)
 	struct rtnl_route *rtnlroute;
 	struct nl_addr *nldest, *nlgateway;
 	struct in6_addr *dest, *gateway;
-	gboolean defgw_set = FALSE;
-	struct in6_addr defgw;
 	uint32_t metric;
 	NMIP6Route *ip6route;
 	int i;
@@ -1321,11 +1319,9 @@ nm_ip6_manager_get_ip6_config (NMIP6Manager *manager, int ifindex)
 		gateway = nl_addr_get_binary_addr (nlgateway);
 
 		if (rtnl_route_get_dst_len (rtnlroute) == 0) {
-			/* Default gateway route; don't add to normal routes but to each address */
-			if (!defgw_set) {
-				memcpy (&defgw, gateway, sizeof (defgw));
-				defgw_set = TRUE;
-			}
+			/* Default gateway route; cache the router's address for later */
+			if (!nm_ip6_config_get_defgw (config))
+				nm_ip6_config_set_defgw (config, gateway);
 			continue;
 		}
 
@@ -1348,6 +1344,8 @@ nm_ip6_manager_get_ip6_config (NMIP6Manager *manager, int ifindex)
 
 	/* Add addresses */
 	for (rtnladdr = FIRST_ADDR (priv->addr_cache); rtnladdr; rtnladdr = NEXT_ADDR (rtnladdr)) {
+		const struct in6_addr *defgw;
+
 		if (rtnl_addr_get_ifindex (rtnladdr) != device->ifindex)
 			continue;
 
@@ -1360,8 +1358,9 @@ nm_ip6_manager_get_ip6_config (NMIP6Manager *manager, int ifindex)
 		nm_ip6_address_set_prefix (ip6addr, rtnl_addr_get_prefixlen (rtnladdr));
 		nm_ip6_address_set_address (ip6addr, addr);
 		nm_ip6_config_take_address (config, ip6addr);
-		if (defgw_set)
-			nm_ip6_address_set_gateway (ip6addr, &defgw);
+		defgw = nm_ip6_config_get_defgw (config);
+		if (defgw)
+			nm_ip6_address_set_gateway (ip6addr, defgw);
 	}
 
 	/* Add DNS servers */
diff --git a/src/nm-device.c b/src/nm-device.c
index 02509e7015..b6359a7c7a 100644
--- a/src/nm-device.c
+++ b/src/nm-device.c
@@ -1794,6 +1794,10 @@ merge_ip6_configs (NMIP6Config *dst, NMIP6Config *src)
 	for (i = 0; i < nm_ip6_config_get_num_nameservers (src); i++)
 		nm_ip6_config_add_nameserver (dst, nm_ip6_config_get_nameserver (src, i));
 
+	/* default gateway */
+	if (!nm_ip6_config_get_defgw (dst))
+		nm_ip6_config_set_defgw (dst, nm_ip6_config_get_defgw (src));
+
 	/* routes */
 	for (i = 0; i < nm_ip6_config_get_num_routes (src); i++)
 		nm_ip6_config_add_route (dst, nm_ip6_config_get_route (src, i));
diff --git a/src/nm-ip6-config.c b/src/nm-ip6-config.c
index 0429e30b26..2fab486383 100644
--- a/src/nm-ip6-config.c
+++ b/src/nm-ip6-config.c
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ typedef struct {
 	GPtrArray *domains;
 	GPtrArray *searches;
 
+	gboolean defgw_set;
+	struct in6_addr defgw;
 	GSList *routes;
 
 	gboolean never_default;
@@ -244,6 +246,30 @@ void nm_ip6_config_reset_nameservers (NMIP6Config *config)
 		g_array_remove_range (priv->nameservers, 0, priv->nameservers->len);
 }
 
+void
+nm_ip6_config_set_defgw (NMIP6Config *config, const struct in6_addr *defgw)
+{
+	NMIP6ConfigPrivate *priv;
+
+	g_return_if_fail (NM_IS_IP6_CONFIG (config));
+
+	priv = NM_IP6_CONFIG_GET_PRIVATE (config);
+	if (defgw)
+		memcpy (&priv->defgw, defgw, sizeof (priv->defgw));
+	priv->defgw_set = !!defgw;
+}
+
+const struct in6_addr *
+nm_ip6_config_get_defgw (NMIP6Config *config)
+{
+	NMIP6ConfigPrivate *priv;
+
+	g_return_val_if_fail (NM_IS_IP6_CONFIG (config), NULL);
+
+	priv = NM_IP6_CONFIG_GET_PRIVATE (config);
+	return priv->defgw_set ? &priv->defgw : NULL;
+}
+
 void
 nm_ip6_config_take_route (NMIP6Config *config, NMIP6Route *route)
 {
@@ -659,6 +685,7 @@ nm_ip6_config_init (NMIP6Config *config)
 	priv->nameservers = g_array_new (FALSE, TRUE, sizeof (struct in6_addr));
 	priv->domains = g_ptr_array_sized_new (3);
 	priv->searches = g_ptr_array_sized_new (3);
+	priv->defgw_set = FALSE;
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/src/nm-ip6-config.h b/src/nm-ip6-config.h
index 1e75a121c8..bc87430cfc 100644
--- a/src/nm-ip6-config.h
+++ b/src/nm-ip6-config.h
@@ -67,6 +67,9 @@ const struct in6_addr *nm_ip6_config_get_nameserver      (NMIP6Config *config, g
 guint32       nm_ip6_config_get_num_nameservers (NMIP6Config *config);
 void          nm_ip6_config_reset_nameservers   (NMIP6Config *config);
 
+void                   nm_ip6_config_set_defgw  (NMIP6Config *config, const struct in6_addr *defgw);
+const struct in6_addr *nm_ip6_config_get_defgw  (NMIP6Config *config);
+
 void          nm_ip6_config_take_route          (NMIP6Config *config, NMIP6Route *route);
 void          nm_ip6_config_add_route           (NMIP6Config *config, NMIP6Route *route);
 void          nm_ip6_config_replace_route       (NMIP6Config *config, guint32 i, NMIP6Route *new_route);
diff --git a/src/nm-policy.c b/src/nm-policy.c
index 26b24f92ed..5420bdf3f8 100644
--- a/src/nm-policy.c
+++ b/src/nm-policy.c
@@ -648,7 +648,12 @@ update_ip6_routing_and_dns (NMPolicy *policy, gboolean force_update)
 		g_assert (ip6_config);
 		addr = nm_ip6_config_get_address (ip6_config, 0);
 
-		nm_system_replace_default_ip6_route (ip_ifindex, nm_ip6_address_get_gateway (addr));
+		if (memcmp (nm_ip6_address_get_gateway (addr)->s6_addr, in6addr_any.s6_addr, sizeof (in6addr_any.s6_addr)) != 0)
+			nm_system_replace_default_ip6_route (ip_ifindex, nm_ip6_address_get_gateway (addr));
+		else if (nm_ip6_config_get_defgw (ip6_config))
+			nm_system_replace_default_ip6_route (ip_ifindex, nm_ip6_config_get_defgw (ip6_config));
+		else
+			nm_log_dbg (LOGD_IP6, "missing default IPv6 route");
 
 		dns_type = NM_DNS_IP_CONFIG_TYPE_BEST_DEVICE;
 	}