diff --git a/pandas/core/indexes/base.py b/pandas/core/indexes/base.py
index 862b6f0e43d50..22ab2bff4cb09 100644
--- a/pandas/core/indexes/base.py
+++ b/pandas/core/indexes/base.py
@@ -2080,8 +2080,14 @@ def _drop_level_numbers(self, levnums: list[int]):
 
             if len(lev) == 0:
                 # If lev is empty, lev.take will fail GH#42055
-                res_values = algos.take(lev._values, new_codes[0], allow_fill=True)
-                result = type(lev)._simple_new(res_values, name=new_names[0])
+                if len(new_codes[0]) == 0:
+                    # GH#45230 preserve RangeIndex here
+                    #  see test_reset_index_empty_rangeindex
+                    result = lev[:0]
+                else:
+                    res_values = algos.take(lev._values, new_codes[0], allow_fill=True)
+                    # _constructor instead of type(lev) for RangeIndex compat GH#35230
+                    result = lev._constructor._simple_new(res_values, name=new_names[0])
             else:
                 # set nan if needed
                 mask = new_codes[0] == -1
diff --git a/pandas/tests/frame/methods/test_reset_index.py b/pandas/tests/frame/methods/test_reset_index.py
index a707bbb377f24..8130c4fa41c12 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/frame/methods/test_reset_index.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/frame/methods/test_reset_index.py
@@ -28,6 +28,17 @@
 
 
 class TestResetIndex:
+    def test_reset_index_empty_rangeindex(self):
+        # GH#45230
+        df = DataFrame(
+            columns=["brand"], dtype=np.int64, index=RangeIndex(0, 0, 1, name="foo")
+        )
+
+        df2 = df.set_index([df.index, "brand"])
+
+        result = df2.reset_index([1], drop=True)
+        tm.assert_frame_equal(result, df[[]], check_index_type=True)
+
     def test_set_reset(self):
 
         idx = Index([2 ** 63, 2 ** 63 + 5, 2 ** 63 + 10], name="foo")