MRI scan · Bristol
an MRI scan in Bristol: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
£350
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Emersons Green, Bristol · 6 miles away
Typical price
£475
The middle of the 5 published prices within 25 miles.
Range £350 to £525.
NHS wait in Bristol
About 9 in 10
on the Bristol MRI list under 6 weeks (August 2026).
How long people already on the list had waited. It can’t tell you your own wait.
In short
The lowest published self-pay price we found for an MRI scan in the Bristol area was £475 at Spire Bristol Hospital (Bristol). Checked 9 November 2026.
At the end of August 2026, 92.0% of the 6,455 people waiting for an NHS MRI scan at Bristol NHS Foundation Trust had been waiting less than six weeks, compared with 78.0% across England.
The health regulator (CQC) lists 104 independent healthcare places in Bristol, including 7 with overnight beds and 13 diagnostic or screening services.
Where to get an MRI scan near Bristol
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Practice Plus Group Hospital, Emersons Green
Bristol · 6 miles away
£350MRI scan – one body part
What’s included: A fixed treatment price. The first consultation costs £145 on top; Practice Plus says that includes a nurse assessment, any blood tests and swabs needed, and an X-ray if required.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Practice Plus Group Hospital, Emersons Green Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Not included £145 (charged separately) -
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet
Shepton Mallet · 18 miles away
£350MRI scan – one body part
What’s included: A fixed treatment price. The first consultation costs £145 on top; Practice Plus says that includes a nurse assessment, any blood tests and swabs needed, and an X-ray if required.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Not included £145 (charged separately) -
Spire Bristol Hospital
Bristol · 2 miles away
£475MRI 1 area
What’s included: Spire says its MRI prices include contrast dye when needed and the radiologist’s report. You need a referral letter from a GP or consultant.
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Spire Cardiff Hospital
Cardiff · 24 miles away
£485MRI 1 area
What’s included: Spire says its MRI prices include contrast dye when needed and the radiologist’s report. You need a referral letter from a GP or consultant.
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Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital
Bristol · 1 miles away
£525MRI scan (1 part)
What’s included: Nuffield’s guide price for one body part. Nuffield says you get a fixed price after your consultation; check with the hospital whether the report is included.
Prices the hospitals and clinics publish on their own websites, not quotes. Nobody pays to be listed. Distances are straight-line miles from Bristol city centre.
Hospital list prices nearby
5 hospitals within 25 miles of Bristol publish a self-pay list price for an MRI scan, ranging from £350 to £525. They belong to Nuffield Health, Practice Plus Group and Spire Healthcare. These are the hospitals’ own published figures, read from each source page on 9 November 2026; what a list price covers differs between groups.
Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital (Bristol), in the city itself, lists MRI scan (1 part) at £525; CQC rates the hospital good (report published September 2026).
Spire Bristol Hospital (Bristol), in the city itself, lists MRI 1 area at £475; CQC rates the hospital good (report published June 2022).
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Emersons Green (South Gloucestershire), about 6 miles from the centre of Bristol, lists MRI scan – one body part at £350; CQC rates the hospital good (report published October 2026).
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet (Somerset), about 18 miles from the centre of Bristol, lists MRI scan – one body part at £350; CQC rates the hospital good (report published June 2023).
Spire Cardiff Hospital (Cardiff), about 24 miles from the centre of Bristol, lists MRI 1 area at £485; it has no published CQC rating yet.
Private or NHS?
- Cost. Free on the NHS. Privately £350 to £525 across 5 published prices within 25 miles.
- Wait. Bristol NHS Foundation Trust: about 9 in 10 (92.0%) on its MRI list under 6 weeks; 518 people longer. England: 78.0%.
- Referral. Many private hospitals ask for a referral letter from a GP or consultant before a private scan. Ask before you book.
Not sure which is right for you? Your GP can refer you on the NHS and talk through your options.
The NHS wait for an MRI scan
| 92.0% | About 9 in 10 people on the MRI waiting list at Bristol NHS Foundation Trust had waited under six weeks (August 2026) |
|---|---|
| 78.0% | the same measure across England. The NHS standard is that fewer than 1% wait six weeks or more. |
At Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, 518 people had waited six weeks or more and 60 had waited 13 weeks or more. Across the NHS South West region, 84.1% of the 27,999 people on the list had waited under six weeks.
These figures describe people already on the list at the end of the month. They do not predict how long a new referral will wait. Source: NHS England, Monthly Diagnostics Waiting Times and Activity (DM01), August 2026 data, published 8 October 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. See the full local picture on Waiting Times UK.
Where else to look in Bristol
These 2 providers in the Bristol area are on the CQC register. We list providers alphabetically and say why each is listed. Nobody pays to appear.
Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital - The Chesterfield
The Chesterfield, 3 Clifton Hill, Bristol, Avon BS8 1BN
Hospital registered to do scans and tests. Ask whether it does MRI.
Spire Bristol Hospital
The Glen, Redland Hill, Durdham Down, Bristol BS6 6UT
Publishes a self-pay price, shown above.
Before you book
We found only one published local price in the Bristol area, so there is little to compare it with locally. Prices published elsewhere in the country are on the national MRI page.
Ask whether the scan price includes the radiologist’s report and whether you need a referral letter before booking.
More in Bristol and elsewhere
Where these figures come from
Prices: read from each provider’s own website on the date shown next to each price. We store the price, what the page says it includes, the link and the date.
Provider details are from the CQC register (downloaded 9 November 2026), under the Open Government Licence. A CQC rating describes the whole location, not a particular treatment.
These figures describe people already on the list at the end of the month. They do not predict how long a new referral will wait. Source: NHS England, Monthly Diagnostics Waiting Times and Activity (DM01), August 2026 data, published 8 October 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. See the full local picture on Waiting Times UK.
Typical price is the middle (median) of the published prices within 25 miles, shown only when there are at least four.
Independent. We’re not part of the NHS or any hospital, we’re not clinicians, and nothing here is medical advice. Hospitals can’t pay to appear or to change their position.
