Related Party Transactions - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Unpaid principal balance of convertible senior note due to related parties	$ 3.0	$ 3.0

Convertible senior note unpaid principal amount due to related parties.

No definition available.

Name:	tsla_ConvertibleSeniorNoteUnpaidPrincipalAmountDueToRelatedParties
Namespace Prefix:	tsla_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant