| Provider type | Test price | Aid from-price | Aftercare | Source | Date checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHS NHS audiology, after a GP referral (or self-referral where your area allows it) | Free | Free, on long-term loan. Usually behind-the-ear; occasionally receiver-in-the-ear | Batteries, repairs and follow-up appointments free. There may be a charge to replace a lost or broken aid | nhs.uk | 5 October 2026 |
| Audika Hearing-care chain (Hidden Hearing and Amplifon UK are now Audika) | Free, age 19 and over | No from-price published. Audika says it "can't give you an exact price" before a test | Servicing for the life of the aid; 24-month warranty; 60-day money-back guarantee; batteries free for three years. Optional Oneplan cover from £75 a year | audika.co.uk | 5 October 2026 |
| Boots Hearingcare High-street pharmacy chain | Free in store | From £695 a pair (Essentials). Rechargeable from £995. Top tier from £4,195 | Lifetime aftercare; up to four years' warranty; 90-day money-back guarantee; annual hearing tests | bootshearingcare.com | 5 October 2026 |
| Specsavers High-street optician chain | Free in store | From £500 a pair (Advance range). Listed models up to £3,000 a pair. Rechargeable from £1,000 | Aftercare with a two-year follow-up; four-year warranty; 100-day money-back guarantee; charger or four years' batteries | specsavers.co.uk | 5 October 2026 |
| All About Hearing Independent audiologist, Suffolk | £30 hearing screening (30 minutes, pass or fail) or £60 comprehensive assessment (75 minutes) | Devices from £999. The page does not say whether that is per aid or per pair | Fitting, manufacturer warranty and an aftercare programme included. Length not stated | allabouthearing.co.uk | 5 October 2026 |
| The Hearing Specialist Independent audiologist, south-west London (four clinics) | £59 assessment | From £1,695 a pair. Single aids from £798. Premium tier up to £4,400 a pair | Four-year warranty and four years of unlimited aftercare included | thehearingspecialist.co.uk | 5 October 2026 |
- Boots Hearingcare: The same Boots page also says, in general terms, that private aids "typically start from around £695 per device". Its own price line says £695 per pair. Ask for the quote in writing. (checked 5 October 2026)
- Specsavers: Specsavers says other levels of branded technology are available beyond the models it lists, so £3,000 is the top of its published list, not a ceiling. (checked 5 October 2026)
Each row is the provider's own published wording, opened by Pete on 5 October 2026. Rows are grouped by type and listed alphabetically within each type. That is not a ranking. Prices are for a pair unless the row says otherwise. A provider may change a price at any time; its written quote is what counts. We delete a row we cannot re-open. Listing a provider here does not mean it is a partner of ours. Full list on Sources.
What can this site do, and what can it not do?
This is not medical advice. We are not a clinic, not the NHS, not an audiologist and not a hearing-aid shop. We do not test hearing, fit aids, diagnose, read an audiogram or hold an appointment. We cannot tell you whether a hearing aid would help you.
Do not use this form if you have sudden hearing loss in one ear, sudden dizziness with hearing loss, or bleeding from the ear. NICE guideline NG98 (last updated 2 October 2023) says hearing loss that came on over three days or less, within the last 30 days, should be seen by a specialist within 24 hours. Ask for a same-day GP appointment, call 111, or go to A&E.
What we can do: show the prices we opened and dated, explain the NHS and private routes, and, if you ask, pass your request to one independent audiology clinic that covers your area. That is free for you. The clinic may pay us.
How does asking a clinic to contact you work?
- Test or aids. A hearing test tells you where you stand. Hearing aids are a separate decision after it. The test is often free; the aids are where the cost is.
- One ear or both. Say which. A change in one ear only is worth raising with a GP first. How many aids, if any, is for you and the audiologist after the test.
- Clinic or home. Most people go to a clinic. A home visit is a different product. No partner clinic takes home-visit requests yet, so we only pass on clinic requests.
- Ask one clinic to contact you. Use the form. One partner clinic may call or email you. Nothing is booked until you agree a time and a price with them.
Is a private hearing test free?
Often, at a chain. Specsavers, Boots Hearingcare and Audika all advertised a free hearing test when we opened their pages on 5 October 2026. A free test is usually a shop appointment, and the shop's money is in the aids, not the test. That is not a reason to avoid it. It is a reason to know what you are walking into. The two independent clinics we checked on the same day charged £30 to £60 for a test. More on hearing test cost.
How much do private hearing aids cost?
On 5 October 2026, Specsavers listed pairs from £500 and Boots Hearingcare from £695 a pair, rising to several thousand pounds for the top tiers. Audika did not publish a price. The NHS website, opened on 5 October 2026, says you can pay "anything from £500 to £3,500 or more for a single hearing aid". We do not average these: each provider includes different aftercare. See hearing aid cost.
Are NHS hearing aids free?
Yes, after a referral. The NHS website (page last reviewed 18 October 2023, opened 5 October 2026) says NHS hearing aids are provided free on long-term loan, batteries and repairs are free, and follow-up appointments and aftercare cost nothing. There may be a charge if you lose or break an aid. NHS aids are usually the behind-the-ear type. See NHS or private.
How long is the NHS wait for a hearing assessment?
NHS England's diagnostics data for July 2026 (DM01, published 10 September 2026) show that 41.5% of the 124,667 people waiting for an NHS audiology assessment had waited six weeks or more. That is the wait for the assessment, not for aids to be fitted. See NHS wait.
Do I need one hearing aid or two?
We cannot tell you, and nobody should before a test. NICE guideline NG98 (published 21 June 2018, last updated 2 October 2023) says, in recommendation 1.6.2: "Offer 2 hearing aids to adults with aidable hearing loss in both ears." Whether that applies to you is for an audiologist after a hearing test. We do not add any rule of our own. More on one hearing aid or two.
Which page should I read first?
- Private hearing test cost: what is free, what is not.
- Hearing aid cost: NHS free versus private prices, provider by provider.
- NHS or private: what each route gives you.
- NHS hearing aids waiting list: the latest month we could open.
- Free hearing test: what a free test includes, and what the aids cost after.
- One hearing aid or two?: what NICE NG98 says, quoted in full.
- Hearing aid aftercare: warranty, batteries and follow-up, provider by provider.
- GP referral and self-referral: how to get NHS hearing aids.
- Home hearing test: who can have one, and why we do not pass on home-visit requests yet.
- How we make money: who pays us, and for what.
Is this website a hearing clinic?
No. Private Hearing is an introducer run by PASECOM GROUP LTD. We do not test hearing, fit aids or diagnose. If you ask, we pass your request to one independent audiology clinic that covers your area.
Does it cost me anything to use the form?
No. The form is free for you. A partner clinic may pay us a fee for the introduction. You pay the clinic only if you agree a price with it.
Will a clinic call me straight away?
Only if a partner clinic covers your area. On 5 October 2026 none did yet. The thank-you page tells you which applies to you.
Want one clinic to call you? Request a private hearing appointment. Free for you; the clinic may pay us.