BYD, boasting 9,426 patents, has topped the patent ranking among Chinese new energy vehicle makers, according to Qichacha, Beijing Daily reported on Monday.

Chang'an Auto and BJEV came in second and third on the ranking with their number of patents at 5,243 and 4,005 respectively, Qichacha found.

With 1,677 patents, Nio ranked sixth but was No 1 among electric car startups.

With annual sales from less than 10,000 cars to over 1 million, new energy vehicle industries in China are upgrading to the medium-and-high stage, drawing more capital, Beijing Daily said.

Data from Qichacha showed total financing volume in new energy vehicle industries in 2020 surged 159.4 percent year-on-year. China's market structure for new energy vehicle brands has been preliminarily set in place, Beijing Daily said.

Experts said the word frequency of new energy vehicles rose from 63 percent in 2018 to 132 percent in 2019. Chinese brands have received more interest within smart vehicle industries and gained international attention, realizing the great transformation from "made in China" to "created in China".