diff --git a/src/ActiveQuery.php b/src/ActiveQuery.php
index 0b2a18567..b0461d024 100644
--- a/src/ActiveQuery.php
+++ b/src/ActiveQuery.php
@@ -976,33 +976,33 @@ public function sql(string|null $value): self
         return $this;
     }
 
-    public function getARClassName(): string
+    public function getARInstance(): ActiveRecordInterface
     {
         if ($this->arClass instanceof ActiveRecordInterface) {
-            return $this->arClass::class;
+            return clone $this->arClass;
         }
 
         if ($this->arClass instanceof Closure) {
-            return ($this->arClass)($this->db)::class;
+            return ($this->arClass)($this->db);
         }
 
-        return $this->arClass;
+        /** @psalm-var class-string<ActiveRecordInterface> $class */
+        $class = $this->arClass;
+
+        return new $class($this->db, $this->tableName);
     }
 
-    public function getARInstance(): ActiveRecordInterface
+    private function getARClassName(): string
     {
         if ($this->arClass instanceof ActiveRecordInterface) {
-            return clone $this->arClass;
+            return $this->arClass::class;
         }
 
         if ($this->arClass instanceof Closure) {
-            return ($this->arClass)($this->db);
+            return ($this->arClass)($this->db)::class;
         }
 
-        /** @psalm-var class-string<ActiveRecordInterface> $class */
-        $class = $this->arClass;
-
-        return new $class($this->db, $this->tableName);
+        return $this->arClass;
     }
 
     private function createInstance(): static
diff --git a/tests/ActiveQueryTest.php b/tests/ActiveQueryTest.php
index 84174f5f4..687d3a366 100644
--- a/tests/ActiveQueryTest.php
+++ b/tests/ActiveQueryTest.php
@@ -2671,7 +2671,7 @@ public function testARClassAsString(): void
         $query = new ActiveQuery(Customer::class, $this->db);
 
         $this->assertSame($query->getARClass(), Customer::class);
-        $this->assertSame($query->getARClassName(), Customer::class);
+        $this->assertSame(Assert::invokeMethod($query, 'getARClassName'), Customer::class);
         $this->assertInstanceOf(Customer::class, $query->getARInstance());
     }
 
@@ -2681,7 +2681,7 @@ public function testARClassAsInstance(): void
         $query = new ActiveQuery($customer, $this->db);
 
         $this->assertSame($query->getARClass(), $customer);
-        $this->assertSame($query->getARClassName(), Customer::class);
+        $this->assertSame(Assert::invokeMethod($query, 'getARClassName'), Customer::class);
         $this->assertInstanceOf(Customer::class, $query->getARInstance());
     }
 
@@ -2691,7 +2691,7 @@ public function testARClassAsClosure(): void
         $query = new ActiveQuery($closure, $this->db);
 
         $this->assertSame($query->getARClass(), $closure);
-        $this->assertSame($query->getARClassName(), Customer::class);
+        $this->assertSame(Assert::invokeMethod($query, 'getARClassName'), Customer::class);
         $this->assertInstanceOf(Customer::class, $query->getARInstance());
     }
 }