HIV testing is a core component of current HIV prevention, but despite substantial increases in HIV testing in recent years, our results suggest that MSM in the UK do not test frequently enough. Evidence‐based behaviour change interventions are needed to increase the frequency of testing among those at risk for HIV infection. Such interventions will prove essential to facilitating the effectiveness of PrEP (PrEP requires individuals to have accurate knowledge of their HIV status) 45. Innovative means of increasing uptake are being tested 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, but it is not yet clear if any of these approaches will increase testing frequency in the medium to longer term or in the subpopulations that matter. It is also unknown whether the availability of self‐testing, or even self‐sampling, kits will increase the frequency of testing, particularly in those at higher risk. The regional, demographic and behavioural differences, and the subtle variations in the risk profiles of testers described here make it unlikely that a “one size fits all” approach to increasing the frequency of testing will be successful. Our analysis suggests that targeted and tailored behaviour change interventions may well offer purchase to this complex problem. Moreover, additional efforts to reduce the known barriers to HIV testing remain important 52, 53, particularly if we are to optimize the potential of biomedical interventions.