Private knee replacement cost in the UK (2026)

Last checked 9 Nov 2026: the UK prices in the answer above were re-read on the providers' own pages that day and had not changed. Written by Saher Shodhan. Every price on this page was checked against the provider's own page on 30 Oct 2026, unless a row says otherwise. Sources are numbered at the end.

Knee Replacement Cost in the UK: the Short Answer

What knee replacement surgery costs depends on the route you take: a UK private hospital, the NHS or a hospital abroad. UK prices were checked on 30 Oct 2026 and prices abroad on 6 Oct 2026.

Already have a clinic in mind? See what the official records say about it →

Flights, hotel nights and anything a package leaves out come on top of the prices abroad. Prices for other treatments, country by country, are in our clinic price index [9].

UK self-pay prices by hospital

These are the providers' published "from" and guide prices. Each says the price you pay is confirmed after a consultation.

What Factors Affect the Price of Knee Replacement Surgery?

The published prices show where the differences come from:

• Which hospital, and where: the same operation is listed from £15,112 at Spire Manchester and from £17,287 at Spire Bushey, and from £20,995 for a fixed-price package at Cromwell Hospital in London [2] [6].
• Robotic surgery: Spire Manchester lists a robotic knee replacement from £18,226, against £15,112 for the standard operation [2].
• Partial or total knee: a partial knee is not always cheaper. Nuffield Brighton lists a partial (unicompartmental) knee at £17,750 and a total knee at £17,515 [4].
• Whether the consultation is included: Spire and Practice Plus Group charge for the first consultation on top of the treatment price (£145 to £253 at the hospitals above) [1] [2].
• Surgeon, implant and your health: Nuffield says its final price "may vary according to Consultant fees, prosthesis or drugs used and any pre-existing medical conditions" [3].
• Tests and scans: Practice Plus Group says there is a charge for any diagnostic tests needed after your first consultation [1].

What’s Included in That Cost?

Each provider words it differently, so compare quotes line by line:

• Nuffield Health: pre-assessment, the operation and post-discharge care [3].
• Spire Healthcare: the price page lists the initial consultation, pre-assessment tests, consultant and anaesthetist fees, nursing, medication and food in hospital, a standard implant, your stay, and aftercare including post-discharge consultations, dressings and 14 days of medication (wording checked 6 Oct 2026) [2].
• Practice Plus Group: prescriptions, aftercare, equipment and "any extra complications that may arise" [1].

What’s Not Included in That Cost?

Ask each hospital, in writing, whether these are in the price:

• The first consultation (charged separately at Spire and Practice Plus Group)
• Scans and tests ordered after the consultation
• A robotic operation or a non-standard implant
• Physiotherapy after the sessions in the package
• Treatment if something goes wrong
• Travel and accommodation for you and anyone with you

How Much Does Knee Replacement Surgery Cost Without Insurance?

Paying for it yourself, the hospitals' own pages put it at £13,799 to £20,995 (table above). Which?, a secondary source, gives a typical range of £14,250 to £15,500 for a knee replacement, in a guide last updated on 3 Jul 2026 [8]. Which? describes its figures as typical self-pay packages across major UK networks, while the hospitals' own pages show each hospital's price, which is why the two ranges differ.

What does Bupa charge for a knee replacement?

Bupa's own knee replacement page does not give a price. It says treatment at Cromwell Hospital, which Bupa owns, is available for one single price [5]. Cromwell Hospital lists a fixed-price knee replacement package from £20,995, and a hospital-only package from £14,449 with the consultant's fees on top (checked 30 Oct 2026) [6]. If you have Bupa insurance, what you pay depends on your policy, so ask Bupa.

Can You Get Knee Replacement Surgery on the NHS for Free?

Yes. NHS treatment is free, but you may wait. In August 2026, 843,419 people were waiting for trauma and orthopaedic treatment in England, and 61.1% had waited under 18 weeks [7]. The median wait for this specialty was about 14 weeks (13.8) [10]. These figures cover all trauma and orthopaedic treatment, not knee replacements alone. In February 2025, a written answer to Parliament gave an average wait of 28.7 weeks for a knee replacement [11]. NHS England publishes the September 2026 figures on 12 Nov 2026.

If a GP refers you, the NHS says "in most cases you have the legal right to choose the hospital or service you'd like to go to" [12]. My Planned Care shows waiting times by hospital [13].

Having a Knee Replacement Abroad: Cost and Checks

Abroad, the operation costs less but the trip adds cost and questions. Three Polish hospitals' own price lists put a total knee replacement at £5,425 to £7,317, and two published lists covering 15 Turkish hospitals put it at £5,400 to £10,186 (checked 6 Oct 2026) [9]. Before choosing on price, compare what each quote includes and check the hospital itself. Our guides to the countries UK patients choose for a knee and to the whole trip, step by step go further, and the hip and knee price list shows each hospital's own price.

Related: NHS knee replacement waiting times, hip replacement cost in the UK, knee arthroscopy cost, the clinic price index.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. Our pages are not medically reviewed.

Clinics UK patients look at

The four with the most Google reviews among the orthopaedic clinics we hold. Each has a free page with its records.

Apollo Hospitals, Greams Road, ChennaiChennai, IndiaKIMS-Sunshine Hospitals, BegumpetHyderabad (Begumpet), IndiaYashoda Hospitals, SomajigudaHyderabad (Somajiguda, Raj Bhavan Road), IndiaYashoda Hospitals, MalakpetHyderabad (Malakpet, Nalgonda X Roads), India

Written by Saher Shodhan

Saher Shodhan is the founder of Thera Travel, which publishes what the official records show about clinics abroad, each fact with the date it was checked, and answers patients' enquiries, free. More about Thera → How we write and check our guides →