MRI scan · London
an MRI scan in London: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
£430
Spire Thames Valley Hospital, Slough · 19 miles away
Cheapest in London itself: £515 at Spire St Anthonys Hospital (10 miles)
Typical price
£592
The middle of the 10 published prices within 25 miles.
Range £430 to £620.
NHS wait in London
About 8 in 10
on the Imperial College Healthcare 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
None of the London providers we profile publishes a price for an MRI scan that we could verify, so this page shows “price on request”. Checked 9 November 2026.
At the end of August 2026, the share of people on the NHS MRI waiting list who had waited less than six weeks ranged from 72.2% at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to 84.4% at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, against 78.0% across England.
The health regulator (CQC) lists 1317 independent healthcare places in London, including 27 with overnight beds and 168 diagnostic or screening services.
Where to get an MRI scan near London
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Spire Thames Valley Hospital
Slough · 19 miles away
£430MRI 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 St Anthonys Hospital
Sutton · 10 miles away
£515MRI 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 Bushey Hospital
Bushey · 13 miles away
£545MRI 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 Woking Hospital
Woking · 22 miles away
£590MRI 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.
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Spire Gatwick Park Hospital
Horley · 24 miles away
£590MRI 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 Harpenden Hospital
Harpenden · 24 miles away
£595MRI 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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Ashtead Hospital
Ashtead · 16 miles away
from£609MRI (one part)
What’s included: Ramsay calls this a guide price (a “from” price). Its page doesn’t list what’s included, so check with the hospital.
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Rivers Hospital
Sawbridgeworth · 23 miles away
from£609MRI (one part)
What’s included: Ramsay calls this a guide price (a “from” price). Its page doesn’t list what’s included, so check with the hospital.
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Spire Hartswood Hospital
Brentwood · 19 miles away
£615MRI 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 Brentwood Hospital
Brentwood · 21 miles away
£620MRI 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 London city centre.
Hospital list prices nearby
8 hospitals within 25 miles of London publish a self-pay list price for an MRI scan, ranging from £430 to £620. They belong to Nuffield Health, Ramsay Health Care UK 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.
Spire St Anthonys Hospital (Sutton), about 10 miles from the centre of London, lists MRI 1 area at £515; CQC rates the hospital good (report published September 2026).
Spire Bushey Hospital (Hertsmere), about 13 miles from the centre of London, lists MRI 1 area at £545; CQC rates the hospital good (report published December 2021).
Ashtead Hospital (Mole Valley), about 16 miles from the centre of London, lists MRI (one part) from £609; CQC rates the hospital good (report published July 2017).
Spire Hartswood Hospital (Brentwood), about 19 miles from the centre of London, lists MRI 1 area at £615; CQC rates the hospital good (report published March 2022).
Spire Thames Valley Hospital (Buckinghamshire), about 19 miles from the centre of London, lists MRI 1 area at £430; CQC rates the hospital good (report published February 2020).
Nuffield Health Brentwood Hospital (Brentwood), about 21 miles from the centre of London, lists MRI scan (1 part) at £620; CQC rates the hospital good (report published January 2026).
Nuffield Health Woking Hospital (Woking), about 22 miles from the centre of London, lists MRI scan (1 part) at £590; CQC rates the hospital good (report published August 2017).
Rivers Hospital (East Hertfordshire), about 23 miles from the centre of London, lists MRI (one part) from £609; CQC rates the hospital good (report published October 2026).
Private or NHS?
- Cost. Free on the NHS. Privately £430 to £620 across 10 published prices within 25 miles.
- Wait. Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust: about 8 in 10 (82.3%) on its MRI list under 6 weeks; 870 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
| NHS trust | Under 6 weeks | On the list |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust | 82.3% | 4,902 |
| Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust | 84.4% | 5,227 |
| University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 72.2% | 6,544 |
| England | 78.0% | 357,356 |
At the end of August 2026, the share of people on the NHS MRI waiting list who had waited less than six weeks ranged from 72.2% at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to 84.4% at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, against 78.0% across England.
At Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, 870 people had waited six weeks or more and 31 had waited 13 weeks or more. At Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, 815 people had waited six weeks or more and 23 had waited 13 weeks or more. At University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 1,819 people had waited six weeks or more and 312 had waited 13 weeks or more. Across the NHS London region, 79.4% of the 59,127 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 London
These 5 providers in the London area are on the CQC register. We list providers alphabetically and say why each is listed. Nobody pays to appear.
Cromwell Hospital
Cromwell Road, London SW5 0TU
Hospital registered to do scans and tests. Ask whether it does MRI.
King Edward VII’s Hospital
5-10 Beaumont Street, London W1G 6AA
Hospital registered to do scans and tests. Ask whether it does MRI.
HCA Healthcare UK London Bridge Hospital
27 Tooley Street, London SE1 2PR
Hospital registered to do scans and tests. Ask whether it does MRI.
The London Clinic
20 Devonshire Place, London W1G 6BW
Hospital registered to do scans and tests. Ask whether it does MRI.
Spire London East Hospital
Roding Lane South, Ilford, Essex IG4 5PZ
Hospital registered to do scans and tests. Ask whether it does MRI.
17 other registered clinics in London that may be relevant
Their names and registrations suggest they may be relevant. We haven’t checked their services or prices.
- Cavendish Imaging Harley Street W1G 6AN · rated Good
- Chenies Mews Imaging Centre WC1E 6HX · rated Good
- DMC Imaging SE15 4PU · rated Good
- Everlight Radiology Limited (London - Head Office) NW1 3AX · rated Good
- JM Radiology Reporting E14 5RE · rated Good
- Marylebone Diagnostic Centre W1U 6RD · not yet rated
- Medserena Upright MRI Centre SW7 4ES · rated Good
- Numi Scan (North London) N10 1LR · not yet rated
- Numi Scan East London Ltd E18 2LQ · not yet rated
- OneWelbeck Imaging and Diagnostics W1G 0AR · rated Good
- Oryon Imaging (Weymouth Street) W1G 6NX · not yet rated
- Oryon Imaging and Healthcare Ltd W1G 9ST · rated Good
- Queen Square Imaging Centre WC1N 3AR · rated Good
- Reliable Scan Limited N19 5LB · not yet rated
- Smart MRI (Located inside Tessa Jowell Health Centre, London) SE22 8EY · not yet rated
And 2 more on the register.
Before you book
With 27 independent locations with overnight beds on the CQC register, London offers more choice than anywhere else in the UK, and prices vary widely between hospitals and consultants.
Ask whether the scan price includes the radiologist’s report and whether you need a referral letter before booking.
For the month-by-month NHS picture in London, see MRI waiting times in London on Waiting Times UK.
More in London 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.
