Brisbane City Council has become the first in Australia to endorse legal parking of two smart cars in one parking space.

Brisbane City Council has become the first in Australia to endorse legal parking of two smart cars in one parking space.

The smart fortwo coupe measures just 2.5-metres in length and was recently hailed Australia’s most environmentally friendly car by the Australian Government.

Brisbane councillor Graham Quirk told the Courier Mail: “If people want to go to the trouble of buying environmentally friendly, space saving cars, we ought to be giving them incentives.”

The move follows a recent Swiss court ruling that found in favour of a Swiss couple who challenged a fine after parking their two smart fortwo coupes in one parking space and paying for only one ticket.

The cantonal court in Zurich ruled owners should pay only one parking fee if both smart cars fit into a single parking space, vindicating the couple’s 18-month legal battle against Zurich’s municipal police force.

Approximately 500 Australians currently own a smart fortwo and sales of the 2.5-metre car accounted for the bulk of smart sales in 2004, the brand’s first full-year on sale in Australia, with 55 per cent of all customers taking delivery of a smart fortwo.

Cars from smart, which is part of the Mercedes Car Group, take up the top three positions in the Government’s Green Vehicle Guide, achieving the best possible score of five stars.

The five star rating includes a greenhouse rating based on CO2 emissions and air pollution rating based primarily on emission standards, along with fuel consumption data.

The smart fortwo coupe is also Australia’s cheapest car to repair following a low speed crash, according to tests carried out by leading general insurer, NRMA Insurance