What size rental car for 5 adults

First of all, be aware that driving in central Toulouse is an art, if not a sport, even with a small car.

So, I don't know where you will be staying in Toulouse and how you plan to use a car, but avoid taking it into the city. See the kind of streets you could end up in:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/NZUA8YYKBtj72NF56

As for the car size for 5 adult passengers, both a Renault Captur type and an intermediate SUV like the Peugeot 3008 can work. The 3008 will be a bit larger and more comfortable, in any case there's no need to go for a Peugeot 5008 category.

The Peugeot 508 style is, in my opinion, a bit too long and too low, it's harder to park and you will encounter quite a few speed bumps. If you don't see them, you'll scrape the underside of the car.

Outside of Toulouse, you won't encounter too many problems parking. In rural areas, there are parking lots, often free, located at the entrances of villages of touristic interest.

Be careful not to follow GPS instructions blindly instead of looking at the road signs. Don't drive into the small villages themselves, you risk getting stuck in a maze of narrow streets.

If you are interested in places to see within an hour of Toulouse, I made this map which focuses mainly on the eastern and northern parts:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1SrAtdgxHVZnob6W3FwLoW4bqrLmZCuU&usp=sharing

I also have a map for the Dordogne, but it's a little over 2 hours from Toulouse.

I disagree with JoLui. A Renault Captur will be way too tight for five adults. I rented one once and had my two kids in the back, I can't imagine three adults being comfortable at all. I hated the car and swapped it for another after a day.

The Peugeot 508 will be suitable. I don't know what kind of speed bumps JoLui has encountered but you won't risk scraping the underside of the car. The Ford Kuga will be OK but probably less room inside than the 508. Of course there's always the caveat of "or similar" so you never really know what car you'll end up with.

I pointed out that the 3008 is definitely more comfortable than the Captur, which, from an American driver's perspective, would likely feel way too small. That said, if we were talking about a drive from Paris to Toulouse, I’d advise against the Captur. But for the 1 or 2 hour max trips Maya has in mind, it’s completely doable. Plenty of people cram 5 people into a car that size for similar drives and manage just fine.

When it comes to speed bumps. You'll run into them in practically every town and village.
According to the latest data, there are around 450,000 of them in France, the vast majority exceeding the legal height limit, which leads to quite a few legal disputes when a vehicle is damaged by these speed bumps (just ask the insurance companies!).
To see the effect they have on cars, just look at the scrapes gouged into the asphalt. The Peugeot 508 has a ground clearance of around 14 cm, compared to about 22 cm for the 3008, and I guarantee that makes a massive difference when clearing speed bumps.

https://images.caradisiac.com/logos/3/3/3/5/243335/S7-insolite-quand-le-cheval-cabre-a-raison-d-un-dos-d-ane-164590.jpg

When I brought up length, it was strictly about parking ease, the 508 is over 20 cm longer than the 3008. I was also giving advice suited to how Americans view driving in rural France, because I constantly read on this forum that people who've actually driven here strongly recommend against getting a large car.

would that it were

Most speed bumps can only be taken at a maximum of 10 km/h if you want to avoid damage (despite the fact that they are legally in a 30 km/h zone). And maybe you haven't had any trouble with that the few times you've driven in France, but that doesn't mean nobody can. And certainly not someone who isn't used to it, driving an unfamiliar rental car that requires extra care and must be returned without a single scratch.

Furthermore, the length of the 508 is too much for the region, not to mention Toulouse itself. We see very few 508s around here, and many more 3008s or equivalent SUVs like the Citroën C5 or the Renault Austral. The 508 is an expensive and older-generation model that has somewhat fallen out of fashion.

So in my opinion, and whatever you may think about it, these are two perfectly valid arguments for choosing a 3008-type rather than a 508-type.

I'd like to see what it's like when there are 5 passengers in a Lamborghini. :-)

And certainly not someone who isn't used to it, driving an unfamiliar rental car that requires extra care and must be returned without a single scratch.

But that's precisely me. I never take my own car abroad, I always rent and therefore it's always an unfamiliar car.

Of all the potential issues that may be faced when factoring in a rental car, speed bumps come way down the list. If the OP wants to comfortably seat five adults then they're going to have to opt for a larger car and that means a full size saloon or SUV. Personally I'd choose the saloon as the boot space is likely to be larger than an equivalent SUV.

If the OP is concerned about speed bumps and potential damage then plump for the Kuga/standard SUV, I wouldn't go for anything smaller.

my first thought was, as just above, the storage of luggage for 5 adults

but in the OP, Maya said,

have the car for part of the time in the middle of the trip, so we won't need to fit suitcases or anything like that in it, just the 5 adults and some small day bags (purses, backpacks, etc).

so I don't think that the size of the boot/trunk will be an issue unless they change plans - I'd be concerned about 3 (presumably) full sized adults in the back seat. Is it perhaps a case for an EV designed from the ground up so there is no hump to be in the way of the cramped middle passenger. An hour or so in the middle seat can get old, fast

I've never really bought into the theory that small cars are inherently easier to drive either. If you've at least a modicum of spatial awareness when you're driving it's just as easy to adjust to a larger car. It's rare that you'll be going anywhere that a car just flat out doesn't fit. It's all about knowing where the corners of your vehicle are, no matter the size.

fit us all semi-comfortably for minimum hour long drives,

3 across in the backseat is what I see as the primary problem.
For that reason I would be looking at a 3 row vehicle ( i.e., 7 passenger type)

If the minimum drive is an hour, no one in back is going to be happy, and the middle person can be excused for being cranky.

What are folks used to driving in? Any normally backseat passengers?

semi-comfortably

Definitely a subjective thing.

Since Maya didn't specify exactly how far from Toulouse they plan to drive, though I assume it involves nearby areas within about an hour's drive that aren't accessible by train and that they’ll likely only use the car for part of their trip (probably no more than 2 or 3 days) and won't be carrying luggage. So, the specific type of car isn't really an issue, they certainly don't need a highway cruiser like a Peugeot 508, which is designed for long-distance travel, nor do they need a huge trunk.

I own an SUV similar to the 5008 (so, slightly larger than the 3008), and it’s more than spacious enough to comfortably carry five adults for a day of sightseeing. A 3008 or equivalent wouldn't make much difference given how Maya intends to use it.

If they prioritize maximum comfort, they could rent a 7-seater van as Joe32F suggests, though they shouldn't complain later about the difficulty of parking or maneuvering through the narrow streets of those "non-train-accessible" locations, which I know quite well.

And if they really want VIP-style comfort, they can rent a luxury van with a chauffeur to take them wherever they want to go.

https://elitevanvtctoulouse.fr/

Maya doesn't specify country of drivers but says:

renting through National because they give you extra drivers at no additional cost

so I think there may be more than one driver.

In most cases each driver who hasn't a driving licence issued in the EU and UK will need an IDP in addition to their home licence

The number of people is one thing. You also have to take into account the amount of luggage.

I'm never familiar with the European models of vehicles, EG. French, Spanish, German, etc.

What I do is I figure out what size vehicle I would need in North America that would fit my needs and then I would note the European models available in the car rental websites. Then I use AI and ask Google to compare the North American vehicle that I know will fit with the proposed European model.

For example, I may ask: "which vehicle is roomier, a Ford Escape or a Seat Arona?" I just keep comparing until I find a vehicle which is about the same size or bigger than the one that I would probably use in North America. Good luck.