New figures from the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council have revealed 54 vehicles were stolen in the city last year.

Of the 54 cars stolen, 58 per cent were from a residence.

In Portland the data showed 11 cars were stolen, Terang 9, Hamilton recorded 7, Camperdown 5, and Mortlake 2.

Warrnambool's car thefts rose last year, with 32 reported stolen in 2017.

Warrnambool police Acting Sergeant Ben Timson warned motorists to take precautionary steps to try and curb thefts.

"Lock your car and keep valuables out of sight or remove them," he said.

"Don't keep your keys in the car. We've all been guilty of it, but we just can't do it anymore. We often have an increase (of thefts) throughout May, with tourists and people coming down for the races.

"Make sure everything is locked, that goes for your house as well. Take precautions."

Last year across Australia more than 53,000 vehicle thefts were reported, a rise of more than 500 on the year before.

Victoria recorded the highest number of thefts, followed by Queensland, NSW and Western Australia.

On average 42 cars are stolen each day in Victoria.

Thieves stole the most cars on a Friday, between 4 and 8pm.

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