Tesla will report its third-quarter 2026 earnings after the market closes on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, with a live Q&A webcast at 5:30 p.m. Eastern (2:30 p.m. Pacific). The company has already said it delivered 486,532 vehicles, beating Wall Street's expectations by more than 24,000.
What investors want now is profit. Tesla's Q2 report showed an earnings miss, lower margins and negative free cash flow.
Tesla Q3 2026 earnings: key details
| Date | Wednesday, October 21, 2026 |
| Results released | After market close |
| Live webcast | 5:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. CT / 2:30 p.m. PT |
| Where to watch | ir.tesla.com |
| Shareholder questions deadline | October 20, 4 p.m. ET (Say platform) |
How many cars did Tesla deliver in Q3 2026?
Tesla's October 2 report, as broken down by Electrek:
| Q3 2026 | Q3 2025 | Q2 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deliveries | 486,532 | 497,099 | 480,126 |
| Production | 464,391 | ||
| Model 3/Y deliveries | 478,237 | ||
| Other models delivered | 8,295 | 15,933 | |
| Energy storage deployed | 13.7 GWh | 12.5 GWh | 13.5 GWh |
Deliveries beat the company-compiled consensus of 461,974 but were down 2.1% from the record a year earlier. Year to date, Tesla has delivered 1,324,681 vehicles, up 8.8%.
"Other models," which includes the Cybertruck, Semi and remaining Model S and X, fell 48%.
What should investors watch on October 21?
1. Automotive margins. Tesla sold about 22,000 more cars than it built, drawing down inventory for a second straight quarter. Whether that helped margins after Q2's squeeze is the first number many analysts will look at.
2. Cybercab and Robotaxi. Cybercab entered production in Q2. Investors want a ramp timeline and an update on the paid Robotaxi service.
3. Optimus. Tesla moved Optimus production onto the old Model S and X line. BASENOR flagged deployment timelines as a likely topic.
4. Energy storage. Deployments of 13.7 GWh missed analysts' roughly 15.9 GWh estimate, so guidance for Q4 matters.
5. Free cash flow. It turned negative in Q2. A rebound would ease concerns about heavy spending on AI and robotics.
For a recap of last quarter, see our report on Tesla's Q2 2026 earnings.
How are Tesla's U.S. sales doing?
Cox Automotive estimates Tesla sold 144,094 EVs in the U.S. in Q3, down about 20% from a year earlier but still more than every other EV brand combined. The Model Y alone accounted for about 99,000. Full numbers are in our Q3 2026 U.S. EV sales report.
Kelley Blue Book says Tesla's average U.S. selling price was $54,345 in September, up 3.3% from August.
What else is happening that week?
SpaceX reports the day before, on October 20, and BASENOR noted its results may set the tone for Tesla's call. Tesla's new Roadster could also come up.
