selected>-- Choose car --</option> <option value="volvo">Volvo</option> <option value="saab">Saab</option> </select>

Rendered Output Preview:

Dropdown with Disabled Default Option:

Bonus: Searchable Dropdown List with `<datalist>` Tag

If you want user can type text to search options inside dropdown box, standard <select> tag cannot do that. But HTML has special <datalist> tag built-in!

You connect <input list="id"> to <datalist id="id"> like this:

Code Example with `<datalist>`

<!-- Input box with list attribute -->
<label for="browser">Choose your browser:</label>
<input list="browsers" name="browser" id="browser" placeholder="Type to search..." />

<!-- Datalist box with options -->
<datalist id="browsers">
  <option value="Google Chrome">
  <option value="Mozilla Firefox">
  <option value="Microsoft Edge">
  <option value="Apple Safari">
  <option value="Brave Browser">
</datalist>

Rendered Output Preview (Try typing inside box!):

#option

Everything about Dropdown List in HTML with Video Examples