Steering column for a motor vehicle, comprising - an actuator unit with at least one jacket tube, in which a steering spindle is mounted rotatably about a longitudinal axis of the jacket tube; - a holding unit which can be connected to the body of the motor vehicle and in which the actuator unit is displaceably arranged; - at least one clamping device by means of which the adjusting unit can be fixed relative to the holding unit, the clamping device comprising at least one clamping lever and at least one clamping shaft which are coupled to one another in a rotationally fixed manner, and the clamping shaft having at least one cam which is connected to the clamping shaft in a rotationally fixed manner; - at least one locking device, which comprises at least one locking element, which is arranged in the holding unit, and at least one engagement element, which is connected to the actuating unit, the cam corresponding to a link path of the locking element in such a way that the locking element can be brought into engagement with the engagement element by a rotary movement of the cam, wherein the link path has a first ramp region, a second ramp region and an intermediate transition region, from which the ramp regions (42, 43) start, from which the ramp regions (42, 43) are formed, wherein the first ramp region is formed as an ascending ramp and the second ramp region comprises a descending ramp characterized in in that the locking element is arranged in the holding device in such a way that it is arranged displaceably in a height direction and is fixed in terms of displacement in the direction of the longitudinal axis. - an actuator unit with at least one jacket tube, in which a steering spindle is mounted rotatably about a longitudinal axis of the jacket tube; - a holding unit which can be connected to the body of the motor vehicle and in which the actuator unit is displaceably arranged; - at least one clamping device by means of which the adjusting unit can be fixed relative to the holding unit, the clamping device comprising at least one clamping lever and at least one clamping shaft which are coupled to one another in a rotationally fixed manner, and the clamping shaft having at least one cam which is connected to the clamping shaft in a rotationally fixed manner; - at least one locking device, which comprises at least one locking element, which is arranged in the holding unit, and at least one engagement element, which is connected to the actuating unit, the cam corresponding to a link path of the locking element in such a way that the locking element can be brought into engagement with the engagement element by a rotary movement of the cam, wherein the link path has a first ramp region, a second ramp region and an intermediate transition region, from which the ramp regions (42, 43) start, from which the ramp regions (42, 43) are formed, wherein the first ramp region is formed as an ascending ramp and the second ramp region comprises a descending ramp characterized in in that the locking element is arranged in the holding device in such a way that it is arranged displaceably in a height direction and is fixed in terms of displacement in the direction of the longitudinal axis.