Q3 FY2026
Filed Oct 21, 2026Q3 revenue was roughly flat year over year, while operating income declined and operating cash flow reached $6,263 million.
Gross profit, operating cash flow, free cash flow, cash and automotive gross margin improved sequentially, but total revenue was roughly flat year over year, total deliveries declined 2%, operating income was lower year over year, and operating expenses increased.
Key metrics
shortened, hover for the filing’s print| Metric | Value | q/q | y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenuesGAAP | $28.05B | – | – |
| Total gross profitGAAP | $5.49B | – | – |
| Income from operationsGAAP | $718M | – | – |
| Total operating expensesGAAP | $4.78B | – | – |
| Research and developmentGAAP | $2.76B | – | – |
| Selling, general and administrativeGAAP | $2.02B | – | – |
| Net incomeGAAP | $804M | – | – |
| Net income attributable to common stockholdersGAAP | $787M | – | – |
| Net income attributable to common stockholdersnon-GAAP | $1.70B | – | – |
| EPS attributable to common stockholders, dilutedGAAP | $0.22 | – | – |
| EPS attributable to common stockholders, dilutednon-GAAP | $0.48 | – | – |
| Adjusted EBITDAnon-GAAP | $3.9B | – | – |
| Adjusted EBITDA marginnon-GAAP | 13.9% | – | -114 bp |
| Automotive gross marginGAAP | 18.5% | – | – |
| Automotive gross margin excluding regulatory credit salesnon-GAAP | 18.1% | – | – |
| Net cash provided by operating activitiesGAAP | $6.26B | – | – |
| Capital expendituresother | −$4.73B | – | – |
| Free cash flownon-GAAP | $1.53B | – | – |
| Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investmentsGAAP | $45.45B | $1.9B increase | – |
| Debt and finance leases, net of current portionGAAP | $8.14B | – | – |
| Current portion of debt and finance leasesGAAP | $1.39B | – | – |
| Total productionother | 464,391 | – | 4% |
| Total deliveriesother | 486,532 | – | -2% |
| Active FSD Subscriptionsother | 1.74M | – | – |
| Storage deployedother | 13.7 GWh | – | – |
| Global vehicle inventoryother | 11 days of supply | – | – |
| Supercharger stationsother | 8,904 | – | – |
| Supercharger connectorsother | 84,465 | – | – |
Segments
| Segment | Revenue | q/q | y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total automotive revenuesYear-over-year revenue was impacted by lower vehicle average selling price, lower regulatory credit revenue, lower vehicle deliveries, positive FX impact and higher automotive ancillary sales, primarily driven by an increase in FSD subscriptions. | $20.56B | – | – |
| Energy generation and storageRevenue decreased year over year, partially due to tariff-related customer refunds. Tesla stated that energy storage demand remained strong, with its highest-ever order rate and backlog. | $2.88B | – | – |
| Services and otherServices and Other gross profit grew $86M sequentially to a record $734M. | $4.61B | – | – |
Outlook outlook
- NoteTesla is focused on maximum capacity utilization at its factories.
- NoteDeliveries and deployments will be impacted by aggregate demand for products, supply chain readiness and allocation decisions between sale to customers and use for Tesla's owned and operated fleet.
- NoteTesla will manage the business to maintain sufficient liquidity to fund its product roadmap, long-term capacity expansion plans, including further vertical integration, and other expenses.
- NoteTesla expects hardware-related profits over time to be accompanied by an acceleration of SI, software and fleet-based profits.
- NoteTesla plans to reach 400 MW of SI training compute by the end of the year.
- NoteTesla plans to start commissioning equipment at the Austin Fab in 2027.
What drove it
- Automotive sales revenue was $20,094 million and automotive regulatory credit revenue was $113 million.
- Tesla cited improved vehicle region and product mix, partially offset by lower vehicle ASP excluding FX impact, as an operating-income factor.
- Higher automotive ancillary sales, primarily driven by increased FSD subscriptions, benefited revenue and operating income.
- Positive FX impact was $0.3B for revenue and $0.1B for operating income on a constant currency basis.
- Tesla began production at Megafactory Texas, with planned capacity of 50 GWh.
- Tesla began volume production of Tesla Semi in Nevada and Optimus production in Fremont.
- Tesla began deployment of Cybercab into its Austin Robotaxi fleet and reached nearly two million cumulative unsupervised Robotaxi miles as of quarter end.
Concerns
- Total deliveries declined 2% year over year to 486,532.
- Tesla stated that battery availability remained a limiting factor on the pace of its global vehicle production ramp.
- Operating expenses increased to $4,776 million, driven by SI and other R&D projects, stock-based compensation including the 2025 CEO Performance Award, and SG&A.
- Tesla cited lower regulatory credit revenue and lower Energy Generation and Storage gross profit as year-over-year operating-income headwinds.
- Capital expenditures were $(4,732) million and free cash flow was $1,531 million.
- The company stated that deliveries and deployments will be affected by aggregate demand, supply chain readiness and allocation decisions between customer sales and its owned and operated fleet.
What to watch
- Progress toward 400 MW of SI training compute by the end of the year.
- Battery supply, vehicle pack capacity in Berlin, cathode materials and lithium refining in Texas, and LFP cell production in Nevada.
- The Tesla Semi and Optimus production ramps.
- Megafactory Texas production and energy storage order rate and backlog.
- Cybercab fleet supply, Robotaxi wait times and Robotaxi orchestration algorithms.
- FSD approvals in additional markets and FSD subscription adoption.
- Vehicle demand, average selling price, regulatory credit revenue and automotive mix.
Balance sheet and cash flow
- Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $45,447 million at 30-Sep-26, compared with $43,524 million at 30-Jun-26.
- Net cash provided by operating activities was $6,263 million.
- Capital expenditures were $(4,732) million.
- Free cash flow was $1,531 million.
- Net cash provided by financing activities was $327 million.
- Total debt and finance leases consisted of $1,387 million current portion and $8,136 million net of current portion.
- Accounts payable were $17,239 million, accrued liabilities and other were $17,205 million, and deferred revenue was $4,661 million.
- Days sales outstanding were 14 and days payable outstanding were 66.
Analysis
Tesla reported Q3 2026 revenue of $28,046 million, compared with $28,095 million in Q3 2025 and $28,236 million in Q2 2026. Total deliveries were 486,532, down 2% year over year, while production increased 4% to 464,391. Automotive revenue was $20,560 million, energy generation and storage revenue was $2,881 million, and services and other revenue was $4,605 million. Tesla attributed the year-over-year revenue profile to lower vehicle ASP, lower regulatory credit revenue, lower vehicle deliveries and lower energy revenue, partly offset by services growth, higher automotive ancillary sales driven primarily by FSD subscriptions, and positive FX impact.
Profitability improved sequentially but remained below the prior-year quarter on operating earnings. Gross profit was $5,494 million, versus $4,751 million in Q2 2026 and $5,054 million in Q3 2025. Automotive gross margin was 18.5%, compared with 16.9% in Q2 2026 and 17.0% in Q3 2025, while automotive gross margin excluding regulatory credit sales was 18.1%. Income from operations was $718 million, compared with $398 million in Q2 2026 and $1,624 million a year earlier. Tesla identified higher SI and other R&D spending, stock-based compensation and SG&A as operating-expense drivers, with lower regulatory credit revenue and lower energy gross profit also weighing on year-over-year operating income.
GAAP net income attributable to common stockholders was $787 million and GAAP diluted EPS was $0.22. Non-GAAP net income attributable to common stockholders was $1,697 million and non-GAAP diluted EPS was $0.48. Adjusted EBITDA was $3,900 million, up from $3,273 million in Q2 2026 but below $4,227 million in Q3 2025. The adjusted EBITDA margin was 13.9%, compared with 11.6% in the preceding quarter and 15.0% a year earlier. Services and Other provided a positive contribution, with sequential gross-profit growth of $86M to a record $734M.
Cash generation recovered from the prior quarter despite elevated investment. Operating cash flow was $6,263 million, capital expenditures were $(4,732) million, and free cash flow was $1,531 million, following free cash flow of $(1,092) million in Q2 2026. Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments rose $1.9B sequentially to $45,447 million, which Tesla said was primarily the result of positive free cash flow. Debt and finance leases net of current portion were $8,136 million, while the current portion was $1,387 million.
The outlook remains qualitative rather than providing financial targets. Tesla is prioritizing factory utilization, liquidity for its product roadmap and infrastructure expansion, and a shift over time toward SI, software and fleet-based profits alongside hardware profits. The company plans to reach 400 MW of SI training compute by the end of the year and to begin commissioning Austin Fab equipment in 2027. Execution markers include battery availability, the Semi and Optimus ramps, Megafactory Texas production, the Cybercab Robotaxi fleet ramp, energy-storage demand and FSD adoption.
Not in the filing
stated, not guessed- Numerical revenue guidance was not provided.
- Numerical gross-margin guidance was not provided.
- Numerical operating-expense guidance was not provided.
- Numerical tax-rate guidance was not provided.
- Prior-period financial guidance was not provided, so no comparison against prior guidance is available.
- GAAP total gross margin percentage for Q3 2026 was not printed.
- GAAP operating margin percentage for Q3 2026 was not printed.
- Share repurchases were not reported.
- Dividends were not reported.
- Named executive quotes were not provided. Prose in the filing was not attributed to a named executive.
Written by an AI language model from the company’s SEC earnings filing (Form 8-K Item 2.02, or Form 6-K for a foreign private issuer). Every figure was checked against the filing text, and a metric whose value, prior period and change do not add up is dropped from the metrics. The model can still misread a table, in the metrics or in the text, so check a number in the filing before you rely on it. Consensus estimates, price targets and share-price reactions are not shown because they are not in the filing. AI-generated research, not investment advice.