Light car sales jumped 35 per cent in January proving motorists in Australia are following overseas trends and purchasing smaller vehicles.

On the back of this phenomenon, sales of the Mercedes-Benz engineered tiny smart fortwo car rose by 132 per cent.

The two-seater smart fortwo is the fastest growing car in the light car segment less than $25,000 (+132%).

In the light car segment greater than $25,000, the larger four-seater smart forfour is the fastest growing model (+126%).

Mr Sam Tabart, the senior manager responsible for the smart brand in Australia, said Australian motorists are waking up to the benefits of smaller cars.

He said they increasingly preferred their size, efficiency, and environmental credentials, much in the same way as Europeans have.

The smart fortwo is one of the country’s most fuel efficient cars (4.8 litres per 100 kilometres) and achieves the best Australian Government rating (8.5 out of 10) for greenhouse gas emissions.