WeaponSpecs

Cheapest main battle tanks with a published price

10 of the 55 main battle tanks in the WeaponSpecs database publish a unit cost figure. Ranked on the published number alone, lowest first, with no weighting and no composite score. The 45 main battle tanks with no published figure are not ranked, absent data is never treated as a low value.

2 of the 10 entries below (Russia, China) rest on manufacturer or state claims with limited independent verification, marked † in the table. Treat their position in this ranking as directional, not tested.
Cheapest main battle tanks with a published price, ranked by published unit cost
# System Unit cost Source
1 T-90M

Russia flag Uralvagonzavod

$4,500,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-01

2 VT-4

China flag NORINCO

$5,200,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-02

3 Merkava Mk4

Israel flag MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office)

$6,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-01

4 K2 Black Panther

South Korea flag Hyundai Rotem

$8,500,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-01

5 M1A2 SEP v2 Abrams

United States flag General Dynamics Land Systems

$8,500,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-02

6 Leclerc XLR

France flag KNDS

$9,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-01

7 Type 10

Japan flag Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

$9,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-01

8 Challenger 3

United Kingdom flag Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL)

$10,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-01

9 M1A2 SEP v3 Abrams

United States flag General Dynamics Land Systems

$10,500,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-01

10 Leopard 2A7

Germany flag KNDS

$11,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-01

Compiled from public manufacturer, defense-ministry and reference sources. Published defense figures are approximations and are often stated under different conditions, so treat this ordering as directional rather than a tested result. A board is only generated where at least 5 systems in the class publish the figure. How we compile specs →

Other main battle tanks rankings

Unit cost in other classes