http://www.avira.com/en/company/awards.html
It is highly popular over here, and many consider it to be the benchmark for AV programs. Combine the free package with a firewall, trojan- and adware scanners, and you are set up very well.
All for free. A fool anyone, who pays money for a virus scanner these days. Simply unneeded, and companies offering these for free, I assure you, have done their calculations. So why be hesitent to save the money?