A motor vehicle gate lock having a lock catch (2) which can be shifted from an open position into a catch position and vice versa, a detent pawl (5) which holds the lock catch (2) in the catch position by catching, and a spring (7) which pretensions the lock catch (2) and detent pawl (5) relative to one another. The detent pawl (5) has an actuating surface (11) for the lock catch (2) at a distance from a catch projection (9) of the detent pawl. There is an electric motor drive (13) with a drive element (14) and a driving lug (16) that located off-center relative to the axis of rotation of the drive element. The driving lug (16) touches the actuating surface (11) by rotation of the drive element (14) in one direction and then lifts the catch projection (9) of the detent pawl (5) out of a catch projection (10) of the lock catch (2) which, in the open position, keeps the detent pawl (5) in a raised position. The electric motor drive (13) turns the drive element (14) in only one direction, so that it is not reset by spring force. The driving lug (16), after the detent pawl (5) has been raised, runs past the actuating surface (11). The detent pawl (5), viewed in the direction in which driving lug (16) moves, has a driver stop surface (18), at a distance behind the actuating surface (11), which is in the path of motion of the driving lug (16) and stops it, when the detent pawl (5) is in the raised position, but when detent pawl (5) is in the lowered position, it is outside of the path of motion of driving lug (16). The electric motor drive (13) is turned off by the driving lug (16) engaging the stop surface (18).