diff --git a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/core/TypeOps.scala b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/core/TypeOps.scala
index 4f27c7883685..f6ea39b41590 100644
--- a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/core/TypeOps.scala
+++ b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/core/TypeOps.scala
@@ -343,17 +343,20 @@ object TypeOps:
         ).suchThat(decl.matches(_))
       val inheritedInfo = inherited.info
       val isPolyFunctionApply = decl.name == nme.apply && (parent <:< defn.PolyFunctionType)
-      if isPolyFunctionApply
-         || inheritedInfo.exists
-            && !decl.isClass
-            && decl.info.widenExpr <:< inheritedInfo.widenExpr
-            && !(inheritedInfo.widenExpr <:< decl.info.widenExpr)
-      then
-        val r = RefinedType(parent, decl.name, decl.info)
-        typr.println(i"add ref $parent $decl --> " + r)
-        r
-      else
-        parent
+      val needsRefinement =
+        isPolyFunctionApply
+        || !decl.isClass
+           && {
+            if inheritedInfo.exists then
+              decl.info.widenExpr <:< inheritedInfo.widenExpr
+              && !(inheritedInfo.widenExpr <:< decl.info.widenExpr)
+            else
+              parent.derivesFrom(defn.SelectableClass)
+          }
+      if needsRefinement then
+        RefinedType(parent, decl.name, decl.info)
+          .reporting(i"add ref $parent $decl --> " + result, typr)
+      else parent
     }
 
     def close(tp: Type) = RecType.closeOver { rt =>
diff --git a/docs/docs/reference/changed-features/structural-types.md b/docs/docs/reference/changed-features/structural-types.md
index 9276775b7021..31221c5d63d8 100644
--- a/docs/docs/reference/changed-features/structural-types.md
+++ b/docs/docs/reference/changed-features/structural-types.md
@@ -123,6 +123,43 @@ New instances of `Selectable` can be defined to support means of
 access other than Java reflection, which would enable usages such as
 the database access example given at the beginning of this document.
 
+## Local Selectable Instances
+
+Local and anonymous classes that extend `Selectable` get more refined types
+than other classes. Here is an example:
+```scala
+class Vehicle extends reflect.Selectable {
+  val wheels: Int
+}
+val i3 = new Vehicle { // i3: Vehicle { val range: Int }
+  val wheels = 4
+  val range = 240
+}
+i3.range
+```
+The type of `i3` in this example is `Vehicle { val range: Int }`. Hence,
+`i3.range` is well-formed. Since the base class `Vehicle` does not define a `range` field or method, we need structural dispatch to access the `range` field of the anonymous class that initializes `id3`. Structural dispatch
+is implemented by the base trait `reflect.Selectable` of `Vehicle`, which
+defines the necessary `selectDynamic` member.
+
+`Vehicle` could also extend some other subclass of `scala.Selectable` that implements `selectDynamic` and `applyDynamic` differently. But if it does not extend a `Selectable` at all, the code would no longer typecheck:
+```scala
+class Vehicle {
+  val wheels: Int
+}
+val i3 = new Vehicle { // i3: Vehicle
+  val wheels = 4
+  val range = 240
+}
+i3.range: // error: range is not a member of `Vehicle`
+```
+The difference is that the type of an anonymous class that does not extend `Selectable` is just formed from the parent type(s) of the class, without
+adding any refinements. Hence, `i3` now has just type `Vehicle` and the selection `i3.range` gives a "member not found" error.
+
+Note that in Scala 2 all local and anonymous classes could produce values with refined types. But
+members defined by such refinements could be selected only with the language import
+`reflectiveCalls`.
+
 ## Relation with `scala.Dynamic`
 
 There are clearly some connections with `scala.Dynamic` here, since
diff --git a/library/src/scala/reflect/Selectable.scala b/library/src/scala/reflect/Selectable.scala
index d9210d60d1a4..c4069c6abcb0 100644
--- a/library/src/scala/reflect/Selectable.scala
+++ b/library/src/scala/reflect/Selectable.scala
@@ -1,29 +1,43 @@
 package scala.reflect
 
-class Selectable(val receiver: Any) extends AnyVal with scala.Selectable {
-  def selectDynamic(name: String): Any = {
-    val rcls = receiver.getClass
-    try {
+/** A class that implements structural selections using Java reflection.
+ *  It can be used as a supertrait of a class or be made available
+ *  as an implicit conversion via `reflectiveSelectable`.
+ */
+trait Selectable extends scala.Selectable:
+
+  /** The value from which structural members are selected.
+   *  By default this is the Selectable instance itself, but it can
+   *  be overridden.
+   */
+  protected def selectedValue: Any = this
+
+  /** Select member with given name */
+  def selectDynamic(name: String): Any =
+    val rcls = selectedValue.getClass
+    try
       val fld = rcls.getField(name)
       ensureAccessible(fld)
-      fld.get(receiver)
-    }
-    catch {
-      case ex: NoSuchFieldException =>
-        applyDynamic(name)()
-    }
-  }
+      fld.get(selectedValue)
+    catch case ex: NoSuchFieldException =>
+      applyDynamic(name)()
 
-  def applyDynamic(name: String, paramTypes: ClassTag[_]*)(args: Any*): Any = {
-    val rcls = receiver.getClass
+  /** Select method and apply to arguments.
+   *  @param name       The name of the selected method
+   *  @param paramTypes The class tags of the selected method's formal parameter types
+   *  @param args       The arguments to pass to the selected method
+   */
+  def applyDynamic(name: String, paramTypes: ClassTag[_]*)(args: Any*): Any =
+    val rcls = selectedValue.getClass
     val paramClasses = paramTypes.map(_.runtimeClass)
     val mth = rcls.getMethod(name, paramClasses: _*)
     ensureAccessible(mth)
-    mth.invoke(receiver, args.asInstanceOf[Seq[AnyRef]]: _*)
-  }
-}
+    mth.invoke(selectedValue, args.asInstanceOf[Seq[AnyRef]]: _*)
+
+object Selectable:
 
-object Selectable {
-  implicit def reflectiveSelectable(receiver: Any): Selectable =
-    new Selectable(receiver)
-}
+  /** An implicit conversion that turns a value into a Selectable
+   *  such that structural selections are performed on that value.
+   */
+  implicit def reflectiveSelectable(x: Any): Selectable =
+    new Selectable { override val selectedValue = x }
diff --git a/tests/run/selectable-new.scala b/tests/run/selectable-new.scala
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e460ca631b56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/run/selectable-new.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+@main def Test =
+  val x =
+    class C extends reflect.Selectable:
+      def name: String = "hello"
+    new C
+
+  val y = new reflect.Selectable:
+    def name: String = "hello"
+
+  assert(x.name == "hello")
+  assert(y.name == "hello")