A multistage transmission with a drive shaft (3) is connected with a shiftable primary planetary gear set (10), having an output shaft (4), connected with a shiftable principal planetary gear set (20) and being provided with a plurality of shifting elements (A to F), via selective closings of at least six forward gear stages, without group shifting, can be attained. One output element of the primary planetary gear set (10), via a first shifting element (A), can be connected with a first input element of the principal planetary gear set (20) and via a second shifting element (B) can be connected with a second input element of the principal planetary gear set (20). The input drive shaft (3) is, via a fifth shifting element (E), connectable with a third input element of the principal planetary gear set (20). Advantageously, a sun gear (11) of the primary planetary gear set (10) is fixed in location, via a sixth shiftable element placed on that side of the primary planetary gear set (10) which is remote from the principal planetary gear set (20). The primary planetary gear set (10) is designed as a plus-transmission with inner and outer planet gears (12, 13), the spiders thereof being bound together.