GWM Tank 300 vs Toyota Prado

Yes, in the ways that count. The Tank 300 is a ladder-frame four-wheel drive with low range and front and rear locking diffs, 224mm of ground clearance and 800mm of wading depth. The Prado brings full-time four-wheel drive, a locking centre diff, crawl control and drive modes, with a slightly better 32-degree approach angle against the Tank's 29. On the deep stuff the Tank actually wades further and carries the extra locker; the Prado leans on its electronics and a long track record. For all but the most extreme work, either will go far past where most owners will ever point them.

The Tank 300, and it isn't close on the numbers you pay. As of mid-2026 it opens around $47,990 against roughly $72,500 before on-road costs for a Prado GX, around $25,000 apart, and note the Tank is quoted closer to list while the Prado's headline figures often fold in drive-away costs. Ownership tilts the same way: seven years of warranty and roadside cover to the Prado's five, and services every 12 months or 15,000km against the Prado's six months or 10,000km. The Prado's counter is resale and a dealer network the GWM cannot match yet. For pure money in and money out, the Tank wins.

Not quite. The Prado is rated to 3,500kg braked with a 6,600kg gross combination mass, while the diesel and plug-in Tank 300 tow 3,000kg with a 5,580kg combined-mass ceiling. For a mid-size van, boat or box trailer the Tank is perfectly capable. For a large caravan loaded near the limit, the Prado's extra 500kg of rating, and its bigger combined-mass headroom, make it the more usable tow vehicle once passengers and gear are aboard. As always, the number that catches people out is not the tow rating but how much payload is left once the van is hitched, so check the weights for the exact variant.

Correct, and it is the cleanest dividing line between them. The Prado 250 is sold as a five- or seven-seater depending on grade, with the third row available on the GXL, VX and Kakadu. The Tank 300 is a five-seater across its entire range, with no seven-seat option at any price. If you need to carry six or seven people, the Prado wins by default and the Tank is off the list. If five seats is plenty, the Tank's cabin is well-equipped, though reviewers note it is tighter inside than the boxy body suggests, so sit in the back before you commit.

Both are five-star cars, and both come with autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping and adaptive cruise control standard across the range. The Prado carries nine airbags to the Tank's seven and holds the fresher rating, tested in 2024 against the Tank's 2022. The Tank scores higher for adult-occupant protection and safety assistance in its own test. The consistent knock on the GWM in the AU press is not a lack of equipment but its tuning: the driver-assist systems are intrusive enough that many owners switch features off each drive. On crash protection the two are close; the day-to-day difference is that tuning, which the Tank draws criticism for and the Prado does not.

The Tank 300, at least on the parts you can measure up front. It runs 12-month or 15,000km service intervals against the Prado's six months or 10,000km, so over a year of the same driving you visit the workshop half as often, and it backs that with a seven-year warranty and seven years of roadside assistance to Toyota's five. The Prado's advantages are the ones that show up later: strong resale, a dealer in almost every town, and a servicing network with decades of Prado experience. If you keep cars a long time and value the safety net, the Toyota case grows; if you are watching the running sheet from day one, the Tank is cheaper to live with.

Only when five seats is enough and value leads the list. If you want a serious off-roader with real low-range hardware, a long warranty and thousands left in the bank, the Tank 300 makes the Prado look expensive. If you need seven seats, a 3,500kg tow rating, long touring range or the reassurance of Toyota's ownership record, the Prado earns its premium and the Tank cannot substitute for it. The two are not the same size or the same money, so the decision is really about whether the Prado's extra space and pedigree are worth roughly $25,000 to you, or whether the Tank's capability-for-money is the sharper play.