MyFirst has been named in The Sunday Times Hundred 2026, ranking 64th among Britain’s fastest-growing privately-owned companies. It is a significant moment for a brand built not from a corporate strategy document, but from a personal experience that many young drivers will recognise immediately.
What is The Sunday Times Hundred?
The Sunday Times Hundred is an annual ranking of the 100 fastest-growing privately-owned companies in Britain, measured by average annual sales growth over a three-year period. Now in its fifth year, the list carries on from the Sunday Times Fast Track 100, which recognised the country’s leading entrepreneurs for over two decades before it.
In the 2026 edition, published on 5 June 2026, MyFirst placed 64th with annual sales growth of 73.98%. Gross written premiums, representing the total value of insurance arranged through the insurance provider, reached £32.8 million. The company has also indicated plans to add a further 20 members of staff in the period ahead.
Where the brand started
The founding story behind MyFirst is one that will feel immediately familiar to any young person who has tried to sort insurance for their first car. James Noble was in his early twenties when he went looking for cover and ran into the same problem most young drivers encounter: high premiums, a confusing range of options, and very little specialist guidance aimed at people who are just starting out.
Rather than accepting that this was simply how things worked, James decided to build a better alternative. In 2016, he launched MyFirst with £10,000 in start-up capital, raised from golfers at a Surrey club where he was working as a caddy. The aim was a focused one: a specialist provider built entirely around young and new drivers, dedicated to helping that group find the right cover.
That founding experience matters because it shaped everything that followed. MyFirst was not built by people studying the young driver insurance market as an opportunity from the outside. It came from someone who had faced the problem himself and wanted to do something about it.
A decade of growth
What began with a modest initial investment has grown considerably over ten years. In May 2025, Lewis Morgan, co-founder of UK sportswear brand Gymshark, acquired a 15 per cent stake in the business, buying out existing investors in a seven-figure deal. That level of investment from a well-known entrepreneur reflects both the scale of what MyFirst has built and the continued size of the young driver market it serves.
The Sunday Times Hundred ranking puts precise figures on that growth: 73.98% average annual sales growth over three years, placing MyFirst alongside some of the UK’s most dynamic private businesses. The planned addition of 20 new roles points to continued expansion ahead.
Why young drivers still face higher premiums
The problem James Noble encountered in 2016 has not gone away. Young drivers, particularly those in the 17 to 24 age group, continue to face some of the highest car insurance premiums on the road. This comes down to risk, and the data behind it is well established.
According to the Department for Transport’s younger driver factsheet, around one in five of all killed or seriously injured casualties from car collisions in 2023 involved a young driver. Young male drivers aged 17 to 24 are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured compared to car drivers aged 25 and over. When insurers calculate premiums, statistical risk of this kind is central to the process.
The risk is highest in the months immediately after passing a driving test, when new drivers are out on the road independently for the first time without an instructor alongside them. Understanding what to expect in those early months is a useful starting point for any new driver getting to grips with life behind the wheel.
Options worth knowing about
While premiums for young drivers tend to be higher as a starting point, there are a number of factors that can influence the overall cost. One option that has become widely used among younger drivers is telematics insurance. Under a telematics policy, the way you drive is monitored and can be taken into account when your premium is reviewed. .
Adding an experienced named driver to a policy is another route some younger drivers consider. Our guide to adding an experienced named driver explains how this works and what to be aware of. For a broader overview of the options available, our article covering essential tips for new driver car insurance sets out the main considerations in one place.
What the ranking means
A place in The Sunday Times Hundred measures commercial growth, not insurance outcomes for individual drivers. But for a brand whose reason for existing is to help young and new drivers find the right cover, a decade of sustained growth carries its own meaning.
The founding mission has not changed. MyFirst was set up to help young drivers find the right options at a point in their lives when the process can feel particularly difficult. Ten years on, and with a ranking among Britain’s fastest-growing companies, that focus remains at the centre of what the brand does.
If you are preparing to insure your first car, our guide to young driver insurance covers everything you need to know to get started.
