FOS Insurance Uphold Rates UK: Which Insurers Have the Most Complaints Upheld

What an uphold rate actually measures

An uphold rate is one of the most cited and most misunderstood figures in financial services. At the Financial Ombudsman Service it means the proportion of resolved complaints that the Ombudsman decided in the consumer's favour. If a firm has a 40 per cent uphold rate, the Ombudsman agreed with the consumer in roughly four of every ten cases it resolved against that firm in the period.

The key point is what an uphold represents. By the time a case reaches the Ombudsman, the firm has already rejected the complaint at least in part, because the consumer only escalates after an unsatisfactory final response. An upheld complaint therefore means the Ombudsman, an independent body, looked at a decision the firm had defended and concluded the consumer should have been treated differently.

That is why a high uphold rate is meaningful: it suggests the firm's own complaint-handling decisions were frequently wrong, at least in the Ombudsman's judgement. A low uphold rate suggests the firm's decisions tended to be sound, or at least that the Ombudsman more often agreed with them. Neither figure proves anything about a single future claim, but in aggregate it says something about how a firm resolves disputes.

Where the data comes from

There are two distinct published data sets, and confusing them is a common error. The first is the Ombudsman's own complaints data, published half-yearly, which names individual businesses that had at least a set number of cases referred and resolved in the period. For each named firm it shows new complaints received and the uphold rate.

The second is firm-level complaints data published under FCA rules. Larger firms must report and publish the complaints they receive directly, broken down by product group, twice a year. This is a different population: it counts complaints made to the firm itself, the vast majority of which never reach the Ombudsman, and it includes the firm's own resolution outcomes rather than the Ombudsman's.

Both data sets are public and free to access. The Ombudsman publishes its figures on its own website, and the FCA aggregates firm-reported complaints data. Reading them together gives a fuller picture: the FCA data shows how many complaints a firm generates relative to its size, while the Ombudsman data shows how often its rejected complaints were overturned.

Why raw numbers can mislead

The biggest trap is comparing the raw number of complaints between firms of different sizes. A large insurer will naturally attract more complaints than a small one simply because it has more customers. A headline figure of several thousand complaints tells you little without knowing the firm's market share, which is why the FCA data is most useful when expressed relative to the number of policies in force.

Product mix is another distortion. Some insurance products generate far more complaints and higher uphold rates than others. A firm concentrated in a complaint-prone product line may show a higher overall uphold rate than a firm in a low-friction line, without either being a fair reflection of conduct. Comparing a buildings-and-contents specialist with a travel insurer on a single blended number can be misleading.

Timing also matters. Uphold rates can spike during industry-wide events, when a single issue drives a wave of similar complaints that the Ombudsman resolves the same way. A one-off surge can move a firm's figure for a period without reflecting its day-to-day handling. The sensible approach is to look at trends across several reporting periods rather than a single snapshot.

How to use the data when choosing an insurer

Used carefully, the published data is a genuine consumer tool. A practical way to read it is in three layers:

• Relative complaint volume. Use the FCA firm data, expressed per policy or per thousand customers, to see whether a firm generates more complaints than its size would predict.
• Uphold rate at the Ombudsman. Use this to gauge how often the firm's rejected complaints were overturned by an independent body.
• Product-level detail. Drill into the relevant product group rather than the blended total, so you are comparing like with like.

What the data should not be is the only factor. Price, cover breadth, exclusions and the financial strength of the insurer all matter, and a firm with a slightly higher uphold rate may still offer better cover for a particular need. The data is best treated as a complaint-handling reputation check that sits alongside a careful reading of the policy wording.

It is also worth remembering what the figures cannot tell you. They are backward-looking and aggregate. They do not predict how your individual claim will be treated, and they do not capture the many complaints resolved well by firms before they ever reach the Ombudsman. They are a signal, not a verdict.

What a high uphold rate tells a regulator

Persistent high uphold rates are not just consumer information; they are a supervisory signal. The FCA monitors complaints data as part of how it supervises firms, because a firm whose rejected complaints are routinely overturned may have weaknesses in its claims or complaint-handling processes, or in how its products are designed and sold.

Under the Consumer Duty, the FCA expects firms to monitor outcomes and act where customers are being harmed. A firm sitting on a high and stable uphold rate would struggle to argue it is delivering good outcomes, because the pattern itself shows that consumers who pushed back were frequently right. The data therefore feeds a feedback loop intended to drive better behaviour.

For the individual policyholder, the practical takeaway is that the system is transparent by design. The same numbers that help a consumer compare firms also expose poor handling to the regulator, and a firm that ignores a deteriorating uphold rate is taking a visible risk. That transparency is part of what gives the published data its value.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good uphold rate for an insurer?

There is no official benchmark. A lower uphold rate suggests the firm's rejected complaints were less often overturned by the Ombudsman, but the figure must be read against product mix and complaint volumes. A single number across all products can be misleading.

Where can I find uphold rates for a specific insurer?

The Financial Ombudsman Service publishes half-yearly complaints data naming individual businesses on its website, including new complaints and uphold rates. The FCA separately publishes firm-reported complaints data, which counts complaints made directly to firms.

Does a high uphold rate mean my claim will be rejected?

No. Uphold rates are aggregate and backward-looking. They describe how the firm handled past complaints overall and do not predict the outcome of any individual claim, which is judged on its own facts and the policy terms.

Why are Ombudsman figures different from a firm's own complaints data?

They measure different populations. Firm-reported data counts all complaints made to the firm, most of which never escalate. The Ombudsman's data covers only cases referred to it and shows how often it overturned the firm's decision.

Can complaints data help me choose an insurer?

It can, as one factor. Look at complaint volumes relative to firm size, the uphold rate at the Ombudsman, and the relevant product group. Then weigh that against cover, exclusions, price and the insurer's financial strength rather than relying on the data alone.