Before we get into those cars with impressively big gas tanks, it's worth creating a frame of reference. On one side are the diminutive runabouts like the Mitsubishi Mirage and its 9.2-gallon tank.

The third-generation T-90 was developed at the tail end of the Cold War to replace the T-72, and it was seen as being equal in capabilities to the U.S. military’s M1 Abrams and German-made Leopard 2.