Private cervical screening (smear test) cost in the UK: what you pay privately (2026)

A private smear test checks for high-risk HPV and abnormal cell changes on the cervix, offered by private clinics for women who want screening outside or earlier than the NHS invitation schedule.

Because we could not confirm a published price for private cervical screening (smear test), this page does not offer a figure. Each provider sets its own price, so the practical task is to ask several for an itemised estimate and compare what each covers.

With you lying down, a speculum is inserted and a soft brush collects cells from the cervix. The sample goes to a laboratory for HPV testing and, if positive, cell examination.

Ask why you are having a private test rather than your NHS one, since an NHS screening invitation is free and a private test does not replace it.

The NHS programme sets screening intervals by age and by whether high-risk HPV is found, because testing more often does not improve protection and can cause unnecessary follow-up. A negative HPV test gives long-lasting reassurance.

If you are overdue for an NHS test, booking through your GP is free and quick. A private test makes sense mainly if you cannot access the NHS test promptly, and the result should still be recorded with your GP.

A single guide figure for private cervical screening (smear test) can mislead, because the final amount depends on factors like these.

• Clinic and clinician: GP-led, nurse-led or gynaecology clinic.

• Laboratory testing: HPV testing with or without cytology.

• Additional tests: STI screening may be offered at the same visit.

• Consultation: a doctor review is often separate.

• Results letter and follow-up.

Providers define a package differently, so two quotes are only comparable once you line up what each covers. The table lists what is typically in and what is often billed separately for this procedure.

Insurers do not usually cover private screening tests.

Insurers often agree a procedure code and a fee ceiling in advance. Self-pay patients should ask whether instalment finance is offered and what the total repayable would be, as the representative rate and terms differ by lender.

The NHS invites eligible women for cervical screening at set intervals, with HPV testing as the primary test, at no cost.

NHS care is free at the point of use, and for non-urgent consultant-led treatment the standard is 18 weeks from referral. You also have the right to choose where you are referred in England. Local waits differ, so ask what applies near you.

There is no recovery, and you may have slight spotting.

No one plans for things to go wrong, but a short conversation about extra costs now can save difficulty later.

• A private test may lead to follow-up that would not have been needed on the NHS schedule, since screening intervals are set to balance benefit and harm.

• Bleeding between periods, after sex or after menopause needs medical assessment, not routine screening.

Quotes only compare fairly when they cover the same things. Put these questions to every provider you approach.

• Does the price include HPV testing and a results letter?

• Who will explain an abnormal result?

• What are the costs of follow-up colposcopy?

• Will my GP be informed?

• Will I receive one price covering the hospital, the consultant and the anaesthetic, or several bills from different parties?