Free cash flow
Carvana Free cash flow decreased by 85.2% to $56.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 72.7%, from $205.00M to $56.00M. Over 3 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a -34.4% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
An increase suggests strong operational efficiency and the ability to self-fund future innovation or return capital to shareholders, while a decrease may indicate heavy capital expenditure cycles or declining operational profitability.
Detailed definition
Free cash flow represents the cash generated by a company after accounting for cash outflows to support operations and m...
Peer comparison
High-growth semiconductor and AI infrastructure peers typically prioritize reinvestment, so free cash flow margins are often compared against R&D intensity and capital expenditure requirements of industry rivals.
cf_free_cash_flowHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | -$719.00M | -$479.00M | -$1.34B | -$813.00M | -$35.00M | -$188.00M | -$800.00M | -$98.00M | $491.00M | $580.00M | $83.00M | $332.00M | $376.00M | $36.00M | $205.00M | -$2.00M | $307.00M | $379.00M | $56.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +33.4% | -179.5% | +39.3% | +95.7% | -437.1% | -325.5% | +87.8% | +601.0% | +18.1% | -85.7% | +300.0% | +13.3% | -90.4% | +469.4% | -101.0% | >999% | +23.5% | -85.2% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +95.1% | +60.8% | +40.3% | +87.9% | >999% | +408.5% | +184.7% | -32.4% | -35.2% | — | +147.0% | -100.6% | -18.4% | +952.8% | -72.7% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Carvana's free cash flow?
- Carvana (CVNA) reported free cash flow of $56.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Carvana's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Carvana's free cash flow decreased by 72.7% year-over-year, from $205.00M to $56.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Carvana's free cash flow?
- Over 3 years (2021 to 2025), Carvana's free cash flow has grown at a -34.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from -$3.15B to $889.00M.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.