Index: sys/kern/subr_bus.c
===================================================================
--- sys/kern/subr_bus.c
+++ sys/kern/subr_bus.c
@@ -210,6 +210,70 @@
 #define print_devclass_list()		/* nop */
 #endif
 
+/*
+ * Preferred device list. If there's a tie, and the driver is on this list,
+ * it will be the one that wins the tie.
+ */
+static int sysctl_preferred(SYSCTL_HANDLER_ARGS);
+static const char **preferred_drivers;
+static int npref;
+SYSCTL_PROC(_hw_bus, OID_AUTO, preferred, CTLTYPE_STRING | CTLFLAG_RWTUN |
+    CTLFLAG_MPSAFE, NULL, 0, sysctl_preferred, "A", "list of preferrred drivers");
+
+static int
+sysctl_preferred(SYSCTL_HANDLER_ARGS)
+{
+	int error, len, newlen;
+	struct sbuf *sbuf;
+	char *buffer, *walk1, *walk2;
+
+	error = sysctl_wire_old_buffer(req, 0);
+	if (error != 0)
+		return (error);
+
+	sbuf = sbuf_new_for_sysctl(NULL, NULL, 128, req);
+	for (int i = 0; i < npref; i++) {
+		if (i > 0)
+			sbuf_putc(sbuf, ',');
+		sbuf_printf(sbuf, "%s", preferred_drivers[i]);
+	}
+
+	error = sbuf_finish(sbuf);
+	sbuf_delete(sbuf);
+
+	if (error || req->newptr == NULL)
+		return (error);
+
+	len = req->newlen - req->newidx;
+	if (len == 0)
+		return (0);
+
+	walk1 = buffer = malloc(len, M_BUS, M_ZERO | M_WAITOK);
+	error = SYSCTL_IN(req, buffer, len);
+
+	newlen = len;
+	npref = 1;
+	for (int i = 0; i < strlen(buffer); i++)
+		if (buffer[i] == ',')
+			npref++;
+	free(preferred_drivers, M_BUS);
+	preferred_drivers = malloc(newlen + npref * sizeof(const char *),
+	    M_BUS, M_ZERO | M_WAITOK);
+	walk2 = (char *)(uintptr_t)preferred_drivers + npref * sizeof(const char *);
+	for (int i = 0; i < npref; i++) {
+		preferred_drivers[i] = walk2;
+		len = strcspn(walk1, ",");
+		memcpy(walk2, walk1, len);
+		walk2[len] = '\0';
+		walk1 += len + 1;
+		walk2 += len + 1;
+	}
+
+	free(buffer, M_BUS);
+	return (error);
+}
+
+
 /*
  * dev sysctl tree
  */
@@ -377,7 +441,6 @@
 static int devctl_queue_length = DEVCTL_DEFAULT_QUEUE_LEN;
 SYSCTL_PROC(_hw_bus, OID_AUTO, devctl_queue, CTLTYPE_INT | CTLFLAG_RWTUN |
     CTLFLAG_MPSAFE, NULL, 0, sysctl_devctl_queue, "I", "devctl queue length");
-
 static d_open_t		devopen;
 static d_close_t	devclose;
 static d_read_t		devread;
@@ -2096,6 +2159,19 @@
 	return (TAILQ_NEXT(last, link));
 }
 
+/**
+ * @internal
+ */
+static bool
+driver_is_preferred(const char *name)
+{
+	for (int i = 0; i < npref; i++)
+		if (strcmp(name, preferred_drivers[i]) == 0)
+			return (true);
+	return (false);
+}
+
+
 /**
  * @internal
  */
@@ -2203,7 +2279,8 @@
 			 * best matching driver. Initialise the value
 			 * of pri for the first match.
 			 */
-			if (best == NULL || result > pri) {
+			if (best == NULL || result > pri ||
+			    (result == pri && driver_is_preferred(child->driver->name))) {
 				best = dl;
 				pri = result;
 				continue;