diff --git a/crates/engine/primitives/src/config.rs b/crates/engine/primitives/src/config.rs
index bcbf775b2e0..a520639c62a 100644
--- a/crates/engine/primitives/src/config.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/primitives/src/config.rs
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ impl Default for TreeConfig {
             share_execution_cache_with_payload_builder: false,
             share_sparse_trie_with_payload_builder: false,
             suppress_persistence_during_build: false,
-            disable_bal_parallel_execution: false,
+            disable_bal_parallel_execution: true,
             disable_bal_parallel_state_root: false,
             disable_bal_batch_io: false,
             #[cfg(feature = "trie-debug")]
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ impl TreeConfig {
             share_execution_cache_with_payload_builder,
             share_sparse_trie_with_payload_builder,
             suppress_persistence_during_build: false,
-            disable_bal_parallel_execution: false,
+            disable_bal_parallel_execution: true,
             disable_bal_parallel_state_root: false,
             disable_bal_batch_io: false,
             #[cfg(feature = "trie-debug")]
diff --git a/crates/node/core/src/args/engine.rs b/crates/node/core/src/args/engine.rs
index 0d3ded64e69..9a9139927d5 100644
--- a/crates/node/core/src/args/engine.rs
+++ b/crates/node/core/src/args/engine.rs
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ impl Default for DefaultEngineValues {
             share_execution_cache_with_payload_builder: false,
             share_sparse_trie_with_payload_builder: false,
             suppress_persistence_during_build: false,
-            bal_parallel_execution_disabled: false,
+            bal_parallel_execution_disabled: true,
             bal_parallel_state_root_disabled: false,
         }
     }
@@ -511,8 +511,8 @@ pub struct EngineArgs {
     )]
     pub suppress_persistence_during_build: bool,
 
-    /// Disable BAL (Block Access List, EIP-7928) based parallel execution. When set, falls back
-    /// to transaction-based prewarming even when a BAL is available.
+    /// Disable BAL (Block Access List, EIP-7928) based parallel execution. Defaults to disabled,
+    /// falling back to transaction-based prewarming even when a BAL is available.
     #[arg(long = "engine.disable-bal-parallel-execution", default_value_t = DefaultEngineValues::get_global().bal_parallel_execution_disabled)]
     pub bal_parallel_execution_disabled: bool,
 
diff --git a/docs/vocs/docs/pages/cli/reth/node.mdx b/docs/vocs/docs/pages/cli/reth/node.mdx
index 0e5618b3f38..39c37b546dc 100644
--- a/docs/vocs/docs/pages/cli/reth/node.mdx
+++ b/docs/vocs/docs/pages/cli/reth/node.mdx
@@ -1074,7 +1074,7 @@ Engine:
           When enabled, persistence cycles are deferred from the moment an FCU with payload attributes arrives until the next FCU clears the build. Useful on chains with short block times where persistence I/O can interfere with block building latency.
 
       --engine.disable-bal-parallel-execution
-          Disable BAL (Block Access List, EIP-7928) based parallel execution. When set, falls back to transaction-based prewarming even when a BAL is available
+          Disable BAL (Block Access List, EIP-7928) based parallel execution. Defaults to disabled, falling back to transaction-based prewarming even when a BAL is available
 
       --engine.disable-bal-parallel-state-root
           Disable BAL-driven parallel state root computation. When set, the BAL hashed post state is not sent to the multiproof task for early parallel state root computation