How to Break a Car Window Quietly

There comes a time in a person’s life when car keys are left in the car, all alone and abandoned.

And then, the car auto-locks, and then you can’t unlock it without using the keys, and then you’re left with only two options – call the experts, or break your car window.

In case option 1 does not work for whatever reason, or if you’re simply in that big of a hurry to retrieve your keys/save a child from an overheated car left under the scorching sun by a particularly negligent parent, breaking the car window is a necessary evil.

Without a doubt, breaking a car window can be a messy and noisy business in any scenario, and we’re here to help you out with just that: eliminating noise while breaking your car window!

Why Should I Break a Car Window Quietly?

Now you may be wondering: “But this is my car! Why should I bother with being quiet?”

Well, other than the rather unpleasant sound of the glass breaking, there’s a really important reason for you to be quiet, and that is: to avoid misunderstanding.

Imagine that the scenario with your keys locked inside your car happened somewhere in public.

Not finding any other way to resolve the problem, you decide to break the glass.

However, in the eyes of a stranger seeing you doing it, you’d look just like another car thief.

That stranger can either call the police, or call some of their friends, and they may just decide to deliver some good old-fashioned street justice.

And you seriously don’t want that.

So the best way to approach it is to simply be as quiet as possible and not draw attention to yourself.

And this is how you’ll accomplish that.

Top 6 Ways of Quietly Breaking a Car Window

1. Hit the Edge

Car windows are extremely durable, made to endure any type of blunt force directly applied to them in order to provide the maximum amount of protection.

This is why you should never hit them right in the center – it will do you no good and it may cause the alarm to activate.

Also, we strongly advise against trying to break the windshield and the back window.

Not only are they the sturdiest of your car’s window glasses, but they’re also the most expensive to fix.

Instead, focus on the side windows.

The driver window and the passenger windows have weaker glass, so the smartest thing to do is to hit the windows on their very edges with a hard, blunt object.

It’s less noisy than hitting the glass directly and significantly more effective.

This is for when you’re breaking the window from the outside.

3. The Duct Tape Trick

If you’re not in a hurry and can allow yourself some time for a more effective and less messy technique, than this one is perfect for you.

You’ll need a lot of duct tape for this one. Cover every single part of the window from the outside, and if possible, from the inside as well.

Once that’s done, simply smash the glass with whatever tool or object you have close by.

This method is great for two reasons.

One: the tape will dampen the sound of broken glass significantly, and two: you won’t have to worry about glass shards falling all over your car interior – it will all stay stuck to the tape!

4. The Pillow Punch

Ordinary pillows can be used as improvised sound dampeners rather effectively.

Simply grab one, put it against the window, and use whatever tool you have to gently tap the pillow.

This method is significantly quieter than the tape method, but it can be a lot messier if you hit the pillow with all your strength.

The glass shards will fall all over the car, and unless you carefully take them all out, you and your passengers risk getting hurt, so take care!

5. Soundproofing Blankets

Soundproofing blankets are thick and sturdy and are excellent noise dampeners. 

That’s why they’re an excellent choice when it comes to breaking a car window as silently as possible.

Use the soundproofing blanket in the same way you’d use the pillow.

Fold it; attach it at the bottom of the window, then cover the entire window with it.

Once that is done, use a tool to hit the glass. Mission accomplished!

6. The Cocktail Smash

This method is definitely the most silent method on the list, though it takes the most time to set up.

All you need to do is combine all the methods we discussed.

The tape method is effective, but some noise still remains.

The blanket and the pillow method are completely silent on their own, but the falling glass does make a sound they cannot block out.

However, if you use all three and apply the technique we first described, you will break the glass with no noise whatsoever, and you won’t need to worry if you worry about the mess.

If you have enough time to set this all up, this combo is perfect for you!