Income Taxes - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) shares in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Apr. 30, 2018	Apr. 12, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	May 03, 2017
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Uncertain tax positions	$ 0			$ 0
Related reserves	0			$ 0
Car360
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Deferred tax liability	2,500,000		$ 2,500,000
Carvana Group
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Gross deferred tax asset	$ 71,400,000
Exchange Agreement
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
LLC units received (in shares)	12,200
Class A Common Units | Carvana Group
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Gross deferred tax asset		$ 2,500,000
Investment owned, balance (in shares)		8,300			18,800