diff --git a/lib/internal/repl/utils.js b/lib/internal/repl/utils.js
index 8405e6758fc7b7..e5bd406544fccd 100644
--- a/lib/internal/repl/utils.js
+++ b/lib/internal/repl/utils.js
@@ -365,7 +365,7 @@ function setupPreview(repl, contextSymbol, bufferSymbol, active) {
     }, () => callback(new ERR_INSPECTOR_NOT_AVAILABLE()));
   }
 
-  const showPreview = () => {
+  const showPreview = (noCompletion = false) => {
     // Prevent duplicated previews after a refresh.
     if (inputPreview !== null || !repl.isCompletionEnabled) {
       return;
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@ function setupPreview(repl, contextSymbol, bufferSymbol, active) {
 
     // Add the autocompletion preview.
     const insertPreview = false;
-    showCompletionPreview(repl.line, insertPreview);
+    !noCompletion && showCompletionPreview(repl.line, insertPreview);
 
     // Do not preview if the command is buffered.
     if (repl[bufferSymbol]) {
diff --git a/lib/repl.js b/lib/repl.js
index 3875858871ebfb..0ef3f7835882bc 100644
--- a/lib/repl.js
+++ b/lib/repl.js
@@ -993,9 +993,7 @@ function REPLServer(prompt,
       clearPreview(key);
       if (!reverseSearch(d, key)) {
         ttyWrite(d, key);
-        if (key.name !== 'escape') {
-          showPreview();
-        }
+        showPreview(key.name === 'escape');
       }
       return;
     }
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-repl-history-navigation.js b/test/parallel/test-repl-history-navigation.js
index 39ccc3732c3d82..a9b09839625527 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-repl-history-navigation.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-repl-history-navigation.js
@@ -614,6 +614,24 @@ const tests = [
     ],
     clean: false
   },
+  {
+    // test that preview should not be removed when pressing ESCAPE key
+    env: { NODE_REPL_HISTORY: defaultHistoryPath },
+    skip: !process.features.inspector,
+    test: [
+      `1+1`,
+      ESCAPE,
+      ENTER,
+    ],
+    expected: [
+      prompt, ...'1+1',
+      '\n// 2',
+      '\n// 2',
+      '2\n',
+      prompt,
+    ],
+    clean: false
+  },
 ];
 const numtests = tests.length;
 
@@ -633,9 +651,9 @@ function cleanupTmpFile() {
 function runTest() {
   const opts = tests.shift();
   if (!opts) return; // All done
-
+  
   const { expected, skip } = opts;
-
+  
   // Test unsupported on platform.
   if (skip) {
     setImmediate(runTestWrap, true);