Operating Cash Flow
Tesla, Inc. Operating Cash Flow increased by 3.3% to $3.94B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 82.6%, from $2.16B to $3.94B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows an upward trend with a 6.4% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
Analysis
How to read this metric
Consistently high operating cash flow indicates a healthy, self-sustaining business capable of funding its own growth and returning capital to shareholders.
Detailed definition
Net cash from operating activities measures the total amount of cash generated by a company's core business operations....
Peer comparison
Investors often compare this to capital expenditures to calculate Free Cash Flow, a primary valuation metric for mature tech giants.
net_cash_from_operatingHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $2.12B | $3.15B | $4.59B | $4.00B | $2.35B | $5.10B | $3.28B | $2.51B | $3.07B | $3.31B | $4.37B | $242.00M | $3.61B | $6.26B | $4.81B | $2.16B | $2.54B | $6.24B | $3.81B | $3.94B |
| QoQ Change | — | +48.2% | +45.7% | -12.9% | -41.2% | +116.9% | -35.7% | -23.3% | +22.0% | +7.9% | +32.1% | -94.5% | >999% | +73.2% | -23.0% | -55.2% | +17.8% | +145.6% | -38.9% | +3.3% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +10.7% | +62.1% | -28.5% | -37.1% | +30.4% | -35.1% | +33.3% | -90.4% | +17.8% | +89.1% | +10.2% | +790.9% | -29.7% | -0.3% | -20.8% | +82.6% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Tesla, Inc.'s operating cash flow?
- Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) reported operating cash flow of $3.94B in Q1 2026.
- How has Tesla, Inc.'s operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Tesla, Inc.'s operating cash flow increased by 82.6% year-over-year, from $2.16B to $3.94B.
- What is the long-term trend for Tesla, Inc.'s operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Tesla, Inc.'s operating cash flow has grown at a 6.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $11.50B to $14.75B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.