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 basically agreee with JC - the Renault Captur is not suitable. It's based on the Nissan Juke and I've been given a ride home from parties in one of those, just me (and a child seat) for 10 minutes and it felt cramped in the back. The 508 shouldn't have any problems with speed bumps (unless you are speeding!) , not sure about rear headroom. But as said, they always have that "or similar" note which doesn't always mean that, not only is "similar" open to argument but sometimes it becomes a class upgrade, which may mean too big for where you intended going.

I'm confused by their designations of the 3008 and Kuga - they are the same length and the 3008 is slightly wider! The Kuga may cost more to buy but that shouldn't matter. Go for the 3008 class, and if you want an automatic make sure you specifically choose automatic - if it doesn't say that it isn't one!

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.

If JC doesn't know what I'm talking about, which is normal since I rarely see him on our roads, I know exactly what I’m talking about when it comes to speed bumps. You'll run into them in practically every town and village. 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.

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.
So I thought I was doing the right thing , but it seems I'm going to have to re-evaluate this in light of some new tendancies.