This is the impressive moment an elephant pulled an SUV that was stuck in a muddy riverbank.

The owner of a white Toyota Fortuner had accidentally swerved into the water, leaving its tyres stuck in the muddy shore in Kerala, India.

Unable to break free, the driver sought help from nearby villagers on May 29.

Footage shows the tusker named Thiruvegappura Shankarnarayanan hoisting a rope attached to the 5,070 lbs (2,300 kg) four-wheeler using its trunk.

The mighty beast can be seen effortlessly tugging the vehicle out and even lifting its front end briefly into the air.

Under the guidance of its mahout, the pachyderm continued to pull until the SUV reached solid ground.

A fully grown adult male Asian elephant can weigh up to 11,900 lbs (5,400 kg) and is incredibly strong — capable of lifting over 660 lbs (300 kg) with its trunk, pushing objects over 3,300 lbs (1,500 kg), dragging more than 2,200 lbs (1,000 kg) with ease.

The sub-continent has at least 30,000 wild elephants - more than any other country and approximately 60 per cent of the world's entire Asian elephant population.