diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/RepeatRowSelect/RepeatRowSelect.test.tsx b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/RepeatRowSelect/RepeatRowSelect.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e557f4dc911
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/RepeatRowSelect/RepeatRowSelect.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { useState } from 'react';
+import { userEvent } from 'test/test-utils';
+
+import { CustomVariable, SceneVariable, SceneVariableSet } from '@grafana/scenes';
+import { DashboardScene } from 'app/features/dashboard-scene/scene/DashboardScene';
+import { activateFullSceneTree } from 'app/features/dashboard-scene/utils/test-utils';
+
+import { RepeatRowSelect2 } from './RepeatRowSelect';
+
+async function buildTestScene(variables?: SceneVariable[]) {
+  const dashboard = new DashboardScene({
+    uid: 'A',
+    $variables: new SceneVariableSet({
+      variables: variables ?? [],
+    }),
+  });
+
+  activateFullSceneTree(dashboard);
+  await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 1));
+  return dashboard;
+}
+
+const Wrapper = ({ scene }: { scene: DashboardScene }) => {
+  const [repeat, setRepeat] = useState<string | undefined>(undefined);
+  return <RepeatRowSelect2 sceneContext={scene} repeat={repeat} onChange={(newRepeat) => setRepeat(newRepeat)} />;
+};
+
+const setup = async (variables?: SceneVariable[]) => {
+  const scene = await buildTestScene(variables);
+
+  return render(<Wrapper scene={scene} />);
+};
+
+describe('RepeatRowSelect2', () => {
+  beforeAll(() => {
+    const mockGetBoundingClientRect = jest.fn(() => ({
+      width: 120,
+      height: 120,
+      top: 0,
+      left: 0,
+      bottom: 0,
+      right: 0,
+    }));
+
+    Object.defineProperty(Element.prototype, 'getBoundingClientRect', {
+      value: mockGetBoundingClientRect,
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('should render correct options', async () => {
+    const variableA = new CustomVariable({
+      name: 'testVar',
+      query: 'test, test2',
+      value: 'test',
+      text: 'testVar',
+    });
+    const variableB = new CustomVariable({
+      name: 'otherVar',
+      query: 'test, test2',
+      value: 'test',
+      text: 'otherVar',
+    });
+
+    await setup([variableA, variableB]);
+
+    const input = screen.getByRole('combobox');
+
+    expect(input).not.toBeDisabled();
+    expect(input).toHaveProperty('placeholder', 'Choose');
+    await userEvent.click(input);
+
+    expect(await screen.findByText(/Disable repeating/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText(/testVar/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText(/otherVar/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('should be disabled when there are no template variables', async () => {
+    await setup();
+
+    expect(screen.getByRole('combobox')).toHaveProperty('placeholder', 'No template variables found');
+    expect(screen.getByRole('combobox')).toBeDisabled();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/RepeatRowSelect/RepeatRowSelect.tsx b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/RepeatRowSelect/RepeatRowSelect.tsx
index 1c7efb14f56..cc7b6c55a99 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/RepeatRowSelect/RepeatRowSelect.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/RepeatRowSelect/RepeatRowSelect.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { useCallback, useMemo } from 'react';
 import { SelectableValue } from '@grafana/data';
 import { useTranslate } from '@grafana/i18n';
 import { SceneObject, sceneGraph } from '@grafana/scenes';
-import { Select } from '@grafana/ui';
+import { Combobox, ComboboxOption, Select } from '@grafana/ui';
 import { useSelector } from 'app/types';
 
 import { getLastKey, getVariablesByKey } from '../../../variables/state/selectors';
@@ -61,30 +61,38 @@ export const RepeatRowSelect2 = ({ sceneContext, repeat, id, onChange }: Props2)
   const variables = sceneVars.useState().variables;
 
   const variableOptions = useMemo(() => {
-    const options: Array<SelectableValue<string | null>> = variables.map((item) => ({
+    const options: ComboboxOption[] = variables.map((item) => ({
       label: item.state.name,
       value: item.state.name,
     }));
 
-    if (options.length === 0) {
-      options.unshift({
-        label: t(
-          'dashboard.repeat-row-select2.variable-options.label.no-template-variables-found',
-          'No template variables found'
-        ),
-        value: null,
-      });
-    }
-
     options.unshift({
       label: t('dashboard.repeat-row-select2.variable-options.label.disable-repeating', 'Disable repeating'),
-      value: null,
+      value: '',
     });
 
     return options;
   }, [variables, t]);
 
-  const onSelectChange = useCallback((option: SelectableValue<string | null>) => onChange(option.value!), [onChange]);
+  const onSelectChange = useCallback((value: ComboboxOption | null) => value && onChange(value.value), [onChange]);
 
-  return <Select inputId={id} value={repeat} onChange={onSelectChange} options={variableOptions} />;
+  const isDisabled = !repeat && variableOptions.length <= 1;
+
+  return (
+    <Combobox
+      id={id}
+      value={repeat}
+      onChange={onSelectChange}
+      options={variableOptions}
+      disabled={isDisabled}
+      placeholder={
+        isDisabled
+          ? t(
+              'dashboard.repeat-row-select2.variable-options.label.no-template-variables-found',
+              'No template variables found'
+            )
+          : t('dashboard.repeat-row-select2.placeholder', 'Choose')
+      }
+    />
+  );
 };
diff --git a/public/locales/en-US/grafana.json b/public/locales/en-US/grafana.json
index 279b5f77268..afa07901d0c 100644
--- a/public/locales/en-US/grafana.json
+++ b/public/locales/en-US/grafana.json
@@ -4427,6 +4427,7 @@
       }
     },
     "repeat-row-select2": {
+      "placeholder": "Choose",
       "variable-options": {
         "label": {
           "disable-repeating": "Disable repeating",