Car Dispute

[Alicat58]

My friend was given a car (10 years old) by her boyfriend a year ago as a birthday present. Although the insurance is in her name, he is the registered owner of the car. They have now fallen out and he is demanding either that she returns the car or gives him the amount he paid for it.
Is she legally bound to return the car?

[zebo]

Can you be the registered owner? I thought it was the registered keeper. If she can prove it was a gift, then she should be able to keep it although she should have changed the registration at the start.

[hc4361]

Is she able to prove that it was intended as a gift for her and not just a loan of his vehicle?

[Alicat58]

Owner/keeper, not sure of the wording. She cannot prove it was a gift and as they had been together for 20 years, she did not think to question why he had registered it in his name or to ask him to register it in her name as she trusted him.

[hc4361]

So more than girlfriend/boyfriend then.
She is legally entitled to keep gifts such as birthday presents but proving it was a gift is a different thing - it will be his word against hers and he's the registered keeper and presumably has the purchase receipt.

The outcome will really depend on who is the first to give in, unless he takes her to court for it and there really is no guarantee of the outcome. It would help if the car is an obvious 'girly' car such as a pink Nissan Figaro. Not many men would buy that for himself.