In December, new car sales decreased somewhat compared to November, as is typical for the final month of the year, yet still remained 2.8 greater than in December 2015, the Association of Estonian Car Dealers and Service Companies (AMTEL) said. The number of new passenger cars sold in December was 1,304.

A total of 22,429 new cars were sold in Estonia in 2016, a 2,082, or 10.2-percent, increase on 2015. Smaller medium cars were the best-selling segment, accounting for 28.2 percent of the year's new car sales, followed by medium-sized cars at 15.8 percent and medium and smaller four-wheel drive vehicles at 14.8 and 13.5 percent, respectively.

In all, 1,096 new passenger cars were exported during the year.

The most popular makes of car were Toyota, Škoda and Volkswagen, accounting for 3,527, 2,493 and 1,781 units sold, respectively. The most popular models were the Škoda Octavia, of which 1,145 units were sold, followed by the Toyota Avensis and Auris, with 845 and 764 units sold.

A significant increase was registered in the market for utility vehicles last year, with the total number of units sold, 4,972, surpassing the 2015 figure by 8.7 percent. Peugeot led this segment of the market with 784 units sold, followed by Citroën, which topped the list in December, selling 717 units and Renault selling 558 units in 2016.

The top three makes in new trucks were Volvo with 286, Scania with 261 and Mercedes-Benz with 113 units sold in 2016.