M3 Light

M3 Light stats at a glance

The M3 Light has 312 hit points , 38mm of frontal hull armor , and a top speed of 61 km/h. Its strongest gun configuration deals 40 damage per shot with 48mm of armor penetration , giving it a theoretical maximum DPM of 960.

Hull & survivability

The front-to-side armor ratio is 1.5:1.

Mobility

Forward-to-reverse speed ratio is 3.0:1. The M3 Light has solid reverse speed for repositioning after taking a shot.

Camouflage

Available guns (1)

With the top-tier gun, the M3 Light can theoretically output up to 960 damage per minute at sustained fire (shot damage × rounds per minute).

How M3 Light compares to its peers

There are 37 tier 3 light tanks in WoT, including the M3 Light. Its 312 HP places it in the top 100% for hit points among same-tier light tanks (peer average: 344). Frontal hull armor of 38mm ranks in the top 25% for the class (peer average: 31mm). Top forward speed of 61 km/h is faster than 81% of peer vehicles in this tier and class. The strongest gun deals 40 damage per shot, higher than 11% of comparable vehicles. Best penetration of 48mm puts it in the top 81% for armor-piercing capability in its class.

Direct comparisons

• M3 Light vs M3 Stuart — tier 3 light tank from USA
• M3 Light vs MTLS-1G14 — tier 3 light tank from USA
• M3 Light vs Locust — tier 3 light tank from USA
• See full tier 3 light tank tier list — all 37 vehicles ranked

Related tier 3 light tanks

• 10TP — Poland
• A7E3 — UK, premium
• AMX 38 — France
• BT-5 — USSR
• BT-7 artillery — USSR, premium
• BT-SV — USSR, premium
• Type 97 Chi-Ha — Japan
• Cruiser Mk. III — UK
• All USSR tanks · Tier 3 premium tanks

Understand the stats

Want a deeper grasp of what these numbers actually mean in battle? Read the glossary:

• What is DPM — the most important offensive metric
• Alpha damage — single-shot damage and what it means for playstyle
• Penetration — and how it interacts with armor angling
• Hull-down position — the king of defensive plays
• View range — how spotting actually works

About this vehicle

The M3 light tank was created in 1938–1941 on the basis of the M2 and entered the mass production in 1941. A total of 13,000 vehicles of different modifications were produced (from M3 to M3A3) and supplied almost to all Allies under Lend-Lease. From 1942 through 1943, 1,232 M3 Stuart vehicles were sent to the U.S.S.R. They were first used in the battle for the Barvenkovo bulge near Kharkov in May 1942.

Frequently asked