How to Get Your Car Out of Mud by Yourself – 5 Methods

I’d imagine the situation you’re in right now is pretty stressful. You could be alone at the side of the road, stuck in the mud, or not have anyone to help you out even though you’re closer to home. 

This article concentrates on what you can do yourself without the help of a second person or another vehicle.

Here will concentrate on five tried and tested methods of getting your car out of the mud yourself. We’ll address them in order of what to try first, as some, if they don’t work near the end, could cause your car to become more stuck than it is right now.

Before we address each solution, one important issue is often overlooked.

Make sure you select a gear that won’t spin the wheels aggressively.

Under normal circumstances, we engage 1st gear in manual/ stick shift cars or Drive in automatic cars to start driving. 

In mud, we must select the lowest automatic gear for automatic transmission or gear 2 or 3 in a manual car.

This turns the wheels more slowly and helps prevent the wheels from spinning and getting you more stuck.

The Methods To Get Your Car Out Of Mud Without A Tow

1. Car Mats

Number one on the list is car mats.

Any car mats will do, although rubber ones are best for this. Hopefully, you’ll have at least one.

Identify the wheel that is more stuck in the mud. The wheel that is most stuck in the mud should be a drive wheel, which gets the power from the engine to turn the wheels.

Most vehicles have front-wheel drive, but some, such as BMW, Mercedes, and other high-end sportier cars, favor rear-wheel cars. If unsure, do a quick check online – I  assume you have a signal if you are looking at this page –  and make sure you put the car mat on the drive wheel that is stuck most. If you have two mats, use one for each drive wheel. This will get you better traction.

I have linked to a list of front-wheel drive cars. 

Place the mat as close as you can in front of the wheels. Try to push it as far under the tire as you possibly can.

Get back in the driver’s seat, engage a gear, and dry forward very slowly. It should become clear early on whether the method has worked if it hasn’t, stop immediately as you may be by digging your car further into the mud by continuing to try.

If it works, pick up your drive mats, and put them in the trunk to be cleaned later. Breathe a sigh of relief and be on your way.

2. Tree Branches, Rocks, or Wood

If you have no mats in your car, all hope is not lost. Look around your environment and see what else you can put at the front of your wheels. Your best bet is if you can find branches or wood.

Have you ever seen a survival program from Alaska or the North Pole? a bit random, I know but bear with me. Quite often, the survivalists will make a snowshoe from branches. Once on their feet, walking in the snow is much easier as it spreads the weight over the branches.

The same concept will work for cars that are stuck in the mud.

You don’t have to make anything fancy. Grab some branches and stick them at the front of the wheel

Rocks are great for this. Look for fairly flat ones and place them underneath the front of the stuck tire. 

 As with the car mat solution, once you are happy, you have done your best in positioning the branches or the rocks, get back in the driver’s seat, and edge forward slowly.

Hopefully, that works for you, but if not, here is method three.

3. Dig Out Mud from Ahead and Behind Tires

I’ve left this method until now because it is unlikely you have a shovel in the back of your car.

It means getting down on your hands and knees and using your hands to dig out the mud. Not great, I know, but needs must.

There’s no need to dig the mud from all four wheels. Just concentrate on the two that provide the drive for your car. You need to try and remove as much mud as possible for a couple of feet in front of the stuck tire.

I’m not talking about getting down to rock here! Just enough to get a firmer surface in front of the wheels providing the drive. Once you’re confident you’ve done enough digging, then get back into the driver’s seat and try and edge forward slowly. 

4. Redistribute Weight – Heavier on the Drive Wheels

This is a long way down the list because it’s unlikely you have enough weight in the car that you can redistribute away from the drive wheels. If you have front-wheel drive, any extra weight is probably in the trunk already, so there’s nothing more you can do.

However, if your car is rear-wheel drive and you have weighted objects in the trunk – maybe tools – redistribute that weight to the passenger front side of your car. This weight reduction may be enough to lighten the weight on the drive wheels to get your car free.

5. Let a Little Air Out.

This is last because there is no way of getting the air back in once the air is out unless you carry a portable tire inflator.

The principle here is that with less air in the tire, a larger surface area will come in contact with mud. Having a larger surface area can provide more traction. 

First, remove the dust cap on the tire of the stuck wheel. This reveals a valve that keeps the air in the tire.

To release the air, you need to press down on the valve. You can do this with a flat-headed screwdriver or even a key. A sturdy twig can do the job if you don’t have a screwdriver or your keys are too thick.

Let the air out until the tire looks visibly low on air and has spread out a little on the mud. Don’t totally deflate it, as you’ll need some air in it to get you to a service station.

In Conclusion

Although it’s stressful being stuck on your own, by keeping calm and methodical, you’ll soon have your car free from the mud.

Try putting a mat or a branch under the stuck wheel, dig out with your hands or shovel, change the weight distribution or let a little air out of the tire. Do these in order and good luck.