diff --git a/src/libudev/libudev-list.c b/src/libudev/libudev-list.c
index 0385c4679e..3ea77507c9 100644
--- a/src/libudev/libudev-list.c
+++ b/src/libudev/libudev-list.c
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ static struct udev_list_entry* udev_list_entry_free(struct udev_list_entry *entr
 
         if (entry->list) {
                 if (entry->list->unique && entry->name)
-                        hashmap_remove(entry->list->unique_entries, entry->name);
+                        hashmap_remove_value(entry->list->unique_entries, entry->name, entry);
 
                 if (!entry->list->unique || entry->list->uptodate)
                         LIST_REMOVE(entries, entry->list->entries, entry);
@@ -90,11 +90,19 @@ struct udev_list_entry* udev_list_entry_add(struct udev_list *list, const char *
                 return NULL;
 
         if (list->unique) {
-                udev_list_entry_free(hashmap_get(list->unique_entries, entry->name));
+                struct udev_list_entry *old;
 
-                if (hashmap_ensure_put(&list->unique_entries, &udev_list_entry_hash_ops, entry->name, entry) < 0)
+                /* Replace the entry for an already known name in a single step. hashmap_replace() reuses the
+                 * existing bucket and hence never allocates, so an existing entry is never dropped, not even
+                 * under memory pressure. Allocating may only fail when adding a genuinely new name, in which
+                 * case there is nothing to lose. */
+                old = hashmap_get(list->unique_entries, entry->name);
+
+                if (hashmap_ensure_replace(&list->unique_entries, &udev_list_entry_hash_ops, entry->name, entry) < 0)
                         return NULL;
 
+                udev_list_entry_free(old);
+
                 list->uptodate = false;
         } else
                 LIST_APPEND(entries, list->entries, entry);
diff --git a/src/udev/meson.build b/src/udev/meson.build
index cbfca87203..893241db0f 100644
--- a/src/udev/meson.build
+++ b/src/udev/meson.build
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ executables += [
                 'suite' : 'udev',
         },
         udev_test_template + {
-                'sources' : files('net/test-link-config-tables.c'),
+                'sources' : files('net/test-link.c'),
                 'suite' : 'udev',
         },
         udev_test_template + {
diff --git a/src/udev/net/link-config.c b/src/udev/net/link-config.c
index 9d2cb3730e..ec50a155ac 100644
--- a/src/udev/net/link-config.c
+++ b/src/udev/net/link-config.c
@@ -98,8 +98,7 @@ static void link_configs_free(LinkConfigContext *ctx) {
 
         ctx->stats_by_path = hashmap_free(ctx->stats_by_path);
 
-        LIST_FOREACH(configs, config, ctx->configs)
-                link_config_free(config);
+        LIST_CLEAR(configs, ctx->configs, link_config_free);
 }
 
 LinkConfigContext *link_config_ctx_free(LinkConfigContext *ctx) {
diff --git a/src/udev/net/test-link-config-tables.c b/src/udev/net/test-link-config-tables.c
deleted file mode 100644
index 58b628bc9b..0000000000
--- a/src/udev/net/test-link-config-tables.c
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-/* SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later */
-
-#include "link-config.h"
-#include "test-tables.h"
-#include "tests.h"
-
-int main(int argc, char **argv) {
-        test_setup_logging(LOG_DEBUG);
-
-        test_table(MACAddressPolicy, mac_address_policy, MAC_ADDRESS_POLICY);
-        test_table(IRQAffinityPolicy, irq_affinity_policy, IRQ_AFFINITY_POLICY);
-
-        return EXIT_SUCCESS;
-}
diff --git a/src/udev/net/test-link.c b/src/udev/net/test-link.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..624f51db37
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/udev/net/test-link.c
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later */
+
+#include "fd-util.h"
+#include "link-config.h"
+#include "test-tables.h"
+#include "tests.h"
+#include "tmpfile-util.h"
+
+TEST(link_config_load_reload) {
+        /* Loading link configuration into an already-populated context (as link_config_load() itself
+         * does via its initial clear) must not leave ctx->configs pointing at freed entries. If the clear
+         * leaves the list head dangling, the reload below and the context teardown afterwards touch freed
+         * memory. */
+
+        _cleanup_(link_config_ctx_freep) LinkConfigContext *ctx = NULL;
+        _cleanup_(unlink_tempfilep) char filename[] = "/tmp/test-link-config.XXXXXX";
+        _cleanup_fclose_ FILE *f = NULL;
+
+        ASSERT_OK(link_config_ctx_new(&ctx));
+
+        ASSERT_OK(fmkostemp_safe(filename, "r+", &f));
+        ASSERT_OK(fputs("[Match]\nOriginalName=*\n\n[Link]\nMTUBytes=1500\n", f));
+        ASSERT_OK(fflush(f));
+
+        /* Populate the context with one configuration. */
+        ASSERT_OK(link_load_one(ctx, filename));
+
+        /* Reload into the same, already-populated context. */
+        ASSERT_OK(link_config_load(ctx));
+}
+
+TEST(tables) {
+        test_table(MACAddressPolicy, mac_address_policy, MAC_ADDRESS_POLICY);
+        test_table(IRQAffinityPolicy, irq_affinity_policy, IRQ_AFFINITY_POLICY);
+}
+
+DEFINE_TEST_MAIN(LOG_DEBUG);