Best Armored Vehicles In GTA Online, Ranked

Summary

Armored Kuruma is perfect for beginners and missions due to its bulletproof nature and affordability.
TM-02 Khanjali is a powerful tank with explosive damage output but lacks defense against incoming fire.
Half-Track offers balance with decent mobility, damage output, and extreme durability against attacks.

Grand Theft Auto is one of the most popular gaming franchises. Its first entry was released in 1997, and each subsequent entry in the series built upon its predecessor and continued to push the boundaries. The fifth installment in the mainline series, Grand Theft Auto 5, has seen many iterations over multiple console generations. One aspect of the persisting relevance of Grand Theft Auto 5 is the online mode, which has grown far beyond its humble beginnings and allows players to exist within a massive online sandbox.

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Each major GTA Online update releases a plethora of content, from missions to facilities, properties, heists, and vehicles. These vehicles often keep players returning, the most popular of which tend to be armored vehicles, equipped to both deal and take damage. Whether players simply want to wreak havoc throughout the city or tackle various mission objectives, it is worth knowing what armored vehicles are best for these situations.

Updated on February 26, 2025, by Mehrdad Khayyat: With an abundance of action-heavy jobs and missions in Grand Theft Auto Online, using the regular vehicles without any protective shields will just be a waste of time. Armored vehicles are meant to protect the driver and passengers against gunshots and give them some extra firepower to use against the enemy.

That being said, this category of vehicles doesn't come at a cheap price. It will take a long time grind the required amount to buy a top-notch armored vehicle, which is the reason why players rather to evaluate all the options before spending their hard-earned money.

10 Annis Apocalypse ZR 380

A Fast And Classy Armored Car

Capacity	2 Seats (1 Driver, 1 Passenger)
Base Price	$2,138,640
Trade Price	$1,608,000

For players with an economic mindset, Anniz Apocalypse ZR 380 might not be a reasonable purchase, as it cannot even rival some of the other vehicles on this list, but what this vehicle delivers is a luxurious look with bragging rights and top-level speed.

Available through the Arena War website, the Apocalypse ZR 380 is armored enough to protect itself against a single explosion, similar to the other vehicles from Arena War. The car can be equipped with a ram head, mounted machine guns, proximity mines, spikes, or saw blades to provide more aggressive functionalities in vehicle warfare.

The basic version comes with a built-in shield for the front window to make it difficult for opponents to target the driver or the passenger.

9 Armored Kuruma

The Perfect Vehicle For New Players

Capacity	4 Seats (1 Driver, 3 Passengers)
Base Price	$698,250
Trade Price	$525,000

The armored Kuruma is a variant of the existing Kuruma, featuring bulletproof windows and the ability to add bulletproof tires. It has a trade price that can be unlocked after the Fleeca Job, a simple heist that results in the Armored Kuruma being even more affordable.

The Armored Kuruma is the most iconic beginner vehicle in GTA Online, supporting many new players through early missions and keeping them safe in free-roam. It is entirely bulletproof and has all the upsides of a sports car, with solid braking, handling, and a very respectable top speed. Players are advised to use the Armored Kuruma in missions only, however, as other players can easily destroy it with just one homing rocket.

8 HVY APC

Customizable For Ground Or Air Warfare

Capacity	4 Seats (1 Driver, 1 Front Gunner, 2 Rear Gunners)
Base Price	$3,092,250
Trade Price	$2,325,000

Introduced as an anti-infantry military vehicle, the HVY APC can surely do more than that. The basic version of the vehicle comes with two machine guns and one cannon on the front. APC shows its value with full seats occupied and is not really suitable for a solo player.

Despite being a military armored vehicle, the APC comes with decent speed and acceleration. The good news is that the front cannon can also be swapped with a surface-to-air missile launcher, which makes this vehicle suitable for any kind of battle in the city of Los Santos.

7 TM-02 Khanjali

A True Glass Cannon

Capacity	4 Seats (1 Driver, 1 Main Gunner, 2 Passengers/Rear Gunners)
Base Price	$3,850,350
Trade Price	$2,895,000

The TM-02 Khanjali is an incredibly sleek and futuristic tank, building upon the first tank in GTA Online, the Rhino. It has a main gun that can be swapped for a railgun, as well as a Browning Machine Gun and the ability to equip it with 2 grenade launchers.

The Khanjali dishes out solid damage, given its many highly explosive weapons. This alone, makes it perfect for PvE content and wreaking havoc across Los Santos. The issue with the Khanjali, however, is that, despite its offensive output, it distinctly lacks defense. The Khanjali can only absorb five rockets, becoming entirely destroyed when hit by a sixth. This makes the Khanjali a somewhat glass cannon, able to dish out damage but ultimately not very resistant to return fire.

6 Half-Track

A Balance Of Offense and Defense

Capacity	3 Seats (1 Driver, 1 Gunner, 1 Passenger)
Base Price	$2,254,350
Trade Price	$1,695,000

The Half-Track is inspired by real-life Half-Track vehicles, modified trucks that maintain their front wheels, but have the back wheels replaced by tank tracks. These vehicles often excel off-road, making up for their reduced speed with solid traction. The Half-Track in GTA Online is equipped with an independently operable turret that can be swapped for a stronger variant. Players may also upgrade the vehicle to allow for landmine deployment.

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The Half-Track is almost a hybrid between a truck and a tank, offering decent mobility and damage output with its gun emplacement. The additional benefit of deploying mines is a desirable trait, allowing players to potentially outplay more maneuverable vehicles in PvP. It takes 27 rockets to destroy the Half-Track, making it incredibly durable and resistant. The downside to the vehicle is the requirement that another player must operate the turret, which is itself exposed to open air and thus gunfire.

5 Vapid Arena Dominator (Arena War)

Highly Customizable Body Parts

Capacity	2 Seats (1 Driver, 1 Passenger)
Base Price	$35,000 (Pre-tuning)
Trade Price	$26,250 (Pre-tuning)
Tuning Cost	$1,132,000

Vapid Dominator is already one of the popular muscle cars in Grand Theft Auto Online, but the Arena War tuning just takes it to the next level, giving it a pretty aggressive look with a rear protective shield inspired by the Death Race movie.

The car comes with a good overall speed but a reduced acceleration compared to its vanilla version due to the heavy armor installed on it. The rear protective shield completely defuses any incoming explosive, but it has a limit to do so, as the second explosion will likely detach the shield.

Front-mounted machine guns, proximity mines, and a ram head are all available options to weaponize this vehicle, which comes with only two available seats.

4 Terrorbyte

Tough With Lots Of Utility

Capacity	4 Seats (1 Driver, 1 Front Passenger, 2 Rear Operators)
Base Price	$1,375,000 - $3,459,500
Trade Price	N/A

The Terrorbyte is mainly a utility vehicle, acting as a mobile hub and workshop. The Terrorbyte can serve as an operation hub for all businesses in the game, as well as be used as both a weapon and vehicle workshop. Players may also equip a turret, operated from within the Terrorbyte hub area.

The Terrorbyte is not utilized for its offensive capabilities, it is mainly purchased in order to obtain and modify the Oppressor MK2. That being said, players can rejoice in the fact that they will be safe inside the vehicle, as it will remain intact until hit by a total of 35 rockets.

3 Nightshark

Incredibly Durable

Capacity	4 Seats (1 Driver, 3 Passengers)
Base Price	$1,245,000
Trade Price	N/A (Free For Guest List Players)

The Nightshark is a powerful and fast vehicle, often considered a larger and more versatile version of the Armored Kuruma. The Nightshark is equipped with an admittedly restrictive front-mounted machine gun but makes up for that fact in pure speed, power, and durability.

The Nightshark is another vehicle best used for PvE content, although it can offer plenty of survivability against other players. Players will find themselves able to ram plenty of opponents out of the way, with the Nightshark also able to tackle many types of terrain. The Nightshark can survive up to 27 rockets, making it an incredibly tough vehicle when considering its immense speed and maneuverability.

2 Avenger

An Airborne Fortress

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Capacity	10 'Seats' (1 Pilot, 1 Cabin Passenger, 3 Cargo Hold Gunners, 5 Cargo Hold Passengers)
Base Price	$3,450,000 - $6,237,500
Trade Price	N/A

The Avenger is another utilitarian vehicle, this time, airborne. It is a large cargo plane that offers plenty of space and utility. The Avenger features the ability to store and transport weaponized vehicles. It also includes a gun turret, a machine gun, missiles, countermeasures, and an autopilot function.

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Players will find The Avenger a massively advantageous vehicle, allowing the transport of a team and the deployment of a weaponized vehicle, perfect for PvP. It also has plenty of air-to-ground weaponry and plenty of defensive countermeasures. These countermeasures will intercept some incoming fire, with the Avenger then able to take 22 rockets before it returns to storage and 26 before it is destroyed.

1 Insurgent Pick-Up Custom

Takes And Gives Out Plenty Of Damage

Capacity	9 Seats (1 Driver, 1 Gunner, 1 Front Passenger, 2 Rear Passengers, 2 Truck Bed Passengers, 2 Side-Mounted Passengers)
Base Price	$1,795,000 (+ $202,500 Conversion)
Trade Price	$1,350,000 (+ $202,500 Conversion)

The Insurgent Pick-Up Custom is a variation on the Insurgent Pick-Up, itself a variation on the standard Insurgent. It is incredibly armored, with solid mobility and a gun emplacement that can be swapped for a minigun. Players may also opt for the ability to leave proximity mines behind at will.

The value of the Insurgent Pick-Up Custom is multifaceted. Not only is it affordable, but it is incredibly maneuverable on all terrains and is decently quick. It excels at PvE missions through the use of its turret, but can certainly do well in PvP encounters. Not only all of this, but the Insurgent Pick-Up Custom also features a massive capacity, accommodating 9 other players, only one short of The Avenger. On top of all of these features, it is highly durable, offering some of the most armor in a land vehicle, able to take a massive 27 homing rockets before it is destroyed.

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