The number of motor vehicles stolen in Australia has risen for the first time in 10 years, according to the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC).

An average of 164 motor vehicles a day were stolen in 2011/12, up from 155 in 2010/11, the council’s annual report shows.

The total number of thefts was 59,874, up 5.4% from 56,782.

The increase comes across all vehicle types, with passenger/light commercial theft up 6%, motorcycles rising 4% and other vehicles up 3%.

The report shows a steady increase in vehicle thefts from homes, which accounted for 45.9% of all cases in 2011/12, up from 40.8% in 2007/8.

This is in line with a general rise in property theft, according to NMVTRC Executive Director Ray Carroll.

“With house burglaries, car theft goes hand in hand because the car is there to take away the goods,” he told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

Short-term vehicle theft has grown 7% since 2010/11, while profit-motivated theft is up 5%.

Mr Carroll says the increases are driven by a number of factors.

“We’ve seen new trends in export, with an international demand for gearboxes and engines due to the general economic downturn and the demand for cheap parts.”

Similar to last year, WA and Queensland had the largest increases in short-term and profit-motivated theft.

“The two-speed economy is more pronounced in certain states because of youth unemployment… and there is an indication of a general growth in dissatisfaction in some sectors of society,” Mr Carroll said.

The top three short-term theft targets in 2011/12 were the Hyundai Excel X3, the Holden Commodore VT and the Holden Commodore VN.

Profit-motivated theft focused on the Commodore VT, followed by the Commodore VS.