Vehicle theft has spiked in the past year, with 66,216 cars broken into or stolen, 8500 more than over the previous period.

The number of motor vehicles stolen state-wide spiked 19 per cent on the previous year, while thefts from motor vehicles jumped 13.4 per cent, Victoria Police crime statistics for the year to September 2014 show.

Thefts of vehicles reached a five-year high of 17,090, with Melbourne's inner north worsening as a car theft hotspot.

The adjoining municipalities of Darebin, Hume and Moreland have the highest rates of car theft, with Moreland also recording one of the largest spikes in the offence over the past year.

The car theft rate in Moreland surged 75 per cent last year, with a total of 993 vehicles reported stolen in the area, 438 more than at the same time to September 2013. The area now has the third-highest rate of car thefts in the state out of 54 police service areas, while last year it ranked 10th.