MRA Cost: MR Angiography Pricing in 2026, UK & US

MR angiography images arteries (and MRV images veins) without ionising radiation. Costs are higher than standard MRI because the protocols are longer and contrast administration adds time and material. UK private prices start around £500. US imaging-centre cash-pay starts at $700; hospital outpatient runs up to $7,500 for the identical study.

How MRA pricing breaks down by region

MRA cost varies more by anatomical region than by patient insurance status. The two most common MRA studies are head MRA (typically for suspected intracranial aneurysm) and neck MRA (typically for suspected carotid or vertebral dissection). These are sometimes ordered together as a combined head-and-neck MRA, which costs less than the sum of two separate studies because the protocol runs in a single sitting.

Renal MRA is increasingly used in workup of resistant hypertension to evaluate for renal artery stenosis; it is contrast-enhanced and takes 30 to 40 minutes scanner time. Abdominal MRA is the largest-volume MRA in absolute terms because it can include the aorta, mesenteric vessels, and renal arteries in a single contrast-enhanced acquisition; it is used in vascular surgery planning, suspected mesenteric ischaemia, and pre-transplant donor evaluation.

Peripheral MRA (lower or upper extremity) is used in suspected peripheral arterial disease where ultrasound is non-diagnostic and as alternative to CT angiography in patients where contrast iodine load is a concern.

UK MRA pricing by region

UK private MRA pricing as of May 2026, mostly contrast-enhanced studies because contrast adds vascular detail:

• Head MRA (TOF, non-contrast): Vista from £495, Nuffield from £595, Spire from £575, Bupa from £675, OneWelbeck from £795.
• Neck MRA (contrast-enhanced): Vista from £595, Nuffield from £695, Spire from £675, Bupa from £775, OneWelbeck from £895.
• Combined head-and-neck MRA: Vista from £795, Nuffield from £895, Spire from £875, Bupa from £995, OneWelbeck from £1,095.
• Renal MRA: Vista from £595, Nuffield from £750, Spire from £695, Bupa from £825, OneWelbeck from £950.
• Abdominal aorta MRA: Vista from £695, Nuffield from £850, Spire from £825, Bupa from £950, OneWelbeck from £1,150.

For UK NHS patients, MRA is free with a referral. Suspected acute carotid or vertebral dissection is scanned within 24 hours via stroke or vascular emergency pathways. Suspected acute aneurysm rupture is a neurosurgical emergency and CT angiography is usually the first-line study (faster, no contraindications to gadolinium); MRA is used for follow-up surveillance of treated aneurysms.

US MRA pricing

FAIR Health Consumer price-lookup data for CPT 70544 (head MRA without contrast) in early 2026 shows median cash-pay rate at an independent imaging centre around $850 and at a hospital outpatient department around $2,400. CPT 70547 (neck MRA without contrast) sits in similar bands. Combined head-and-neck MRA pricing is roughly 60 to 80 percent of two separate studies.

For abdominal MRA (CPT 74185, with-contrast), FAIR Health metro data shows median freestanding cash-pay rate around $1,300 and hospital outpatient median around $3,900. Renal MRA pricing is similar to abdominal MRA because the renal arteries are typically imaged as part of the abdominal MRA protocol.

For US insurance patients, pre-authorisation is essentially always required for MRA because of the cost. Skipping pre-auth is the leading reason MRA claims are denied. The negotiated in-network rate is typically 30 to 50 percent below cash-pay at the same facility, but cash-pay at an independent centre may still beat in-network insurance at a hospital, particularly before deductible is met.

Sources used on this page

• CMS Physician Fee Schedule, 2026
• FAIR Health Consumer MRA CPT pricing data
• ACR Appropriateness Criteria, cerebrovascular and abdominal vascular indications
• Vista Health, Nuffield, Spire, Bupa, OneWelbeck published MRA prices, May 2026

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