October saw the third-highest monthly total of new car sales this year, but sales were still down 52.6% from last October, AMTEL reported.
In October, 1,266 new passenger cars were sold in Estonia, compared to 2,673 sold during the same month last year when anticipation of an incoming car tax boosted purchases, according to statistics published Tuesday by the Estonian Association of Car Dealers and Service Centers (AMTEL). Over the first ten months of this year, Estonian dealers handed over 10,688 new cars to customers, down 42.2 percent compared with the same period in 2024.
The share of hybrid vehicles increased again in October, with 806 sold, making up 63.7 percent of all new passenger cars that month. So far this year, 6,663 hybrids have been sold, a 28 percent drop from the 9,250 sold in the first ten months of last year, when hybrids accounted for 50 percent of all new car sales.
A total of 77 electric vehicles were sold in October, representing 6.1 percent of the total. Over ten months, 735 electric vehicles were sold, down 33 percent from 1,101 during the same period last year. Despite the decline in volume, EVs have gained a slightly larger market share: 6.9 percent of all new cars sold this year, compared to 6.0 percent a year ago.
For the third month in a row, Škoda was the most popular brand, with 207 vehicles sold, followed by Toyota with 187 and KIA with 120. The best-selling models also came from these brands: 81 Škoda Kodiaqs, 79 KIA Sportages and 67 Toyota Corollas were sold.
By vehicle class, SUVs dominated October sales. Mid-size SUVs accounted for 546 vehicles or 43.1 percent of all new cars sold. Small SUVs made up 254 sales (20.1 percent) and large SUVs 70 (5.5 percent). Compared with the overall drop in new car sales, mid-size and small SUV sales declined relatively less, by about 47 percent.
While most car brands have seen a decline in sales this year, a few lower-volume brands have held steady or even increased sales. Chevrolet sold three cars (up from one last year, a 200 percent increase), Mini sold 20 (up from 17 for a 17.6 percent increase) and Alfa Romeo sold seven (up from six, a 16.7 percent rise). Lamborghini (48), Aston Martin (5), DFSK (5) and Knaus (1) all matched their 10-month sales totals from last year.
AMTEL also noted that the commercial vehicle market shows no signs of recovery. Just 249 new commercial vehicles were sold in October, a 33.8 percent drop from the same month last year. Over the first ten months of 2025, 2,642 new commercial vehicles have been sold, 30.3 percent fewer than during the same period last year.
Toyota led commercial vehicle sales with 32 units sold, followed by Ford with 29. Scania and Renault both sold 28 units. In the truck segment, Scania led with 28 sales, followed by Volvo with 20.
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