diff --git a/awx/main/tests/functional/utils/test_execution_environments.py b/awx/main/tests/functional/utils/test_execution_environments.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..15bd67b202
--- /dev/null
+++ b/awx/main/tests/functional/utils/test_execution_environments.py
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+import pytest
+
+from django.conf import settings
+from django.test.utils import override_settings
+
+from awx.main.models.execution_environments import ExecutionEnvironment
+from awx.main.utils.execution_environments import get_default_execution_environment
+from awx.main.management.commands.register_default_execution_environments import Command
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def set_up_defaults():
+    Command().handle()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.django_db
+def test_default_to_jobs_default(set_up_defaults, organization):
+    """Under normal operation, the default EE should be from the list of global job EEs
+    which are populated by the installer
+    """
+    # Fill in some other unrelated EEs
+    ExecutionEnvironment.objects.create(name='Steves environment', image='quay.io/ansible/awx-ee')
+    ExecutionEnvironment(name=settings.GLOBAL_JOB_EXECUTION_ENVIRONMENTS[0]['name'], image='quay.io/ansible/awx-ee', organization=organization)
+    default_ee = get_default_execution_environment()
+    assert default_ee.image == settings.GLOBAL_JOB_EXECUTION_ENVIRONMENTS[0]['image']
+    assert default_ee.name == settings.GLOBAL_JOB_EXECUTION_ENVIRONMENTS[0]['name']
+
+
+@pytest.mark.django_db
+def test_default_to_control_plane(set_up_defaults):
+    """If all of the job execution environments are job execution environments have gone missing
+    then it will refuse to use the control plane execution environment as the default
+    """
+    for ee in ExecutionEnvironment.objects.all():
+        if ee.name == 'Control Plane Execution Environment':
+            continue
+        ee.delete()
+    assert get_default_execution_environment() is None
+
+
+@pytest.mark.django_db
+def test_user_default(set_up_defaults):
+    """If superuser has configured a default, then their preference should come first, of course"""
+    ee = ExecutionEnvironment.objects.create(name='Steves environment', image='quay.io/ansible/awx-ee')
+    with override_settings(DEFAULT_EXECUTION_ENVIRONMENT=ee):
+        assert get_default_execution_environment() == ee
diff --git a/awx/main/utils/execution_environments.py b/awx/main/utils/execution_environments.py
index 5bc01d879a..c218c72802 100644
--- a/awx/main/utils/execution_environments.py
+++ b/awx/main/utils/execution_environments.py
@@ -13,6 +13,11 @@ def get_control_plane_execution_environment():
 def get_default_execution_environment():
     if settings.DEFAULT_EXECUTION_ENVIRONMENT is not None:
         return settings.DEFAULT_EXECUTION_ENVIRONMENT
+    installed_default = ExecutionEnvironment.objects.filter(
+        image__in=[ee['image'] for ee in settings.GLOBAL_JOB_EXECUTION_ENVIRONMENTS], organization=None, managed_by_tower=False
+    ).first()
+    if installed_default:
+        return installed_default
     return ExecutionEnvironment.objects.filter(organization=None, managed_by_tower=False).first()