Company-owned vehicle ownership turns on the registered insured owner, not a managing director's signature on records.

A managing director does not become the owner of a company-owned car merely by signing registration records on behalf of the company. Where the vehicle is registered in the company's name and the insurance policy also names the company as insured owner, the claimant is treated as a separate legal person from the company and only as an occupant of the vehicle. On that footing, an insurer cannot deny compensation solely on the ground that the claimant was the owner. Policy coverage for occupants supports compensation in such circumstances.

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Issues: Whether the claimant was the owner of the insured car and, if not, whether he was entitled to compensation for injuries suffered as an occupant of the vehicle.

Analysis: The vehicle was registered in the name of the company, which was a distinct legal entity under its incorporation documents and records. The claimant's signature as managing director in the registration records did not make him the owner of the car. The insurance policy was also issued in the name of the company, showing that the insurer treated the company as the insured owner. Since the insurer's defence rested only on the plea that the claimant was the owner, that defence failed once the claimant was found to be separate from the company and only an occupant of the vehicle. The policy coverage for occupants supported the claim for compensation.

Conclusion: The claimant was not the owner of the car and was entitled to compensation; the appeal failed.

Ratio Decidendi: A managing director does not become the owner of a company-owned vehicle merely by signing registration records on behalf of the company, and an insurer cannot deny compensation on that basis when the policy stands in the company's name and the claimant is only an occupant.

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