Diagnostic imaging · Oxford
MRI scans in Oxford: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
£590
Nuffield Health Oxford Hospital, Oxford · 1.9 miles away
NHS wait
About 9 in 10
on the MRI list at Oxford University Hospitals had waited under 6 weeks (August 2026).
People already on the list. It can’t tell you your own wait.
Prices near Oxford
-
Nuffield Health Oxford Hospital
Oxford · 1.9 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.
-
Berkshire Independent Hospital
Reading · 24 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.
Prices the hospitals publish on their own websites, not quotes. Nobody pays to be listed. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of Oxford.
Hospital by hospital
Nuffield Health Oxford Hospital, Oxford, 1.9 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Good, report June 2022). MRI £590 (single guide figure, no breakdown), the lowest locally.
Berkshire Independent Hospital, Reading, 24 miles away (Ramsay Health Care UK; CQC Good, report May 2020). MRI from £609 (single guide figure, no breakdown), £19 above the local lowest.
How the prices compare
MRI scans: 2 local prices span £19, from £590 to £609; the UK median across 93 published prices is £545.
Within 5 miles of central Oxford: Nuffield Health Oxford Hospital (1.9 miles).
10 to 25 miles of central Oxford: Berkshire Independent Hospital (24 miles).
Typical for MRI scan: an outpatient scan.
Tip: count the journeys for the consultation, the procedure and follow-up when weighing a cheaper hospital further away.
Private or NHS?
- Cost. MRI scan £590 to £609 at 2 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. Oxford University Hospitals: about 9 in 10 (88.1%) under 6 weeks. England: 78.0%.
Private hospitals usually ask for a referral letter or a consultation first. Not sure which is right for you? Your GP can refer you on the NHS and talk through your options.
The NHS wait near Oxford
| NHS trust | Under 6 weeks | 6 weeks or more | 13 weeks or more | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 88.1% | 515 | 75 | 4,345 |
| Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust | 89.1% | 272 | 46 | 2,492 |
| England | 78.0% | 78,471 | 16,345 | 357,356 |
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 1.7 miles from Oxford: 4,345 people waiting for MRI, 88.1% under six weeks, 75 at 13 weeks or more.
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, 25 miles from Oxford: 2,492 people waiting for MRI, 89.1% under six weeks, 46 at 13 weeks or more.
These figures describe people already waiting at the end of the month, not how long a new referral will wait. The NHS standard is that fewer than 1% wait six weeks or more.
Source: NHS England, Monthly Diagnostics Waiting Times and Activity (DM01), August 2026 data, published 8 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Month-by-month figures: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK.
Other clinics nearby
The CQC register lists 6 independent scanning centres and hospitals registered with the CQC to do scans and tests within 19 miles: 2 good, 1 requires improvement, 3 not yet rated. 1 of them publish a price we could check here; ask the others directly.
The 6 nearest
| Location | Distance | Rating (CQC) | Price shown above? |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Luke's Radiology Oxford Ltd | 1.7 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Nuffield Health The Manor Hospital Oxford | 1.9 miles | Good | Yes |
| Genesis Care, Oxford | 2.9 miles | Good | No |
| Newmedica Community Ophthalmology Service | 6.4 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| SpaMedica Oxford | 6.6 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Chiltern Medical Clinic, Goring on Thames | 17 miles | Requires improvement | No |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask Berkshire Independent Hospital and Nuffield Health Oxford Hospital for an itemised quote, as their prices are published as a single figure.
- Ask whether the price includes the radiologist’s report, and how quickly you will get it.
Nearby
MRI scans in nearby places
- Reading 25 miles
- Milton Keynes 29 miles
- Basingstoke 35 miles
- Luton 37 miles
- Watford 37 miles
- Coventry 46 miles
- Solihull 51 miles
- Kingswood and Fishponds 57 miles
Other treatments near Oxford
This page also covers 5 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Swindon, Didcot, Abingdon-on-Thames, Wallingford, Benson.
Where these figures come from
Prices: from each hospital’s own price page and breakdown on the date shown next to each price. We store the price, what the page says it includes, the link and the date.
Each hospital group describes its prices differently (guide prices, fixed packages or “from” prices), so read what’s included before comparing totals.
Clinic details and ratings: CQC register (HSCA Active Locations, downloaded 9 November 2026), Open Government Licence v3.0. A rating describes the whole location, not one treatment.
Source: NHS England, Monthly Diagnostics Waiting Times and Activity (DM01), August 2026 data, published 8 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Month-by-month figures: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust 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.