A piston pump having a piston longitudinally movable in a housing. A first pressure chamber is delimited by the piston element and a component affixed to the housing. The first pressure chamber is connected to a suction region via an inlet valve and is operationally connected to a delivery side via an outlet valve. A compensation piston unit has a working piston chamber connected to the delivery side. A stroke volume of the first pressure chamber is twice the size of a stroke volume of the working piston chamber. The piston element and a component affixed to the housing delimit a second pressure chamber connected to the suction region which is operationally connected to the first pressure chamber during a suction stroke of the piston element whose volume varies by half the stroke volume of the first pressure chamber and expands with a delivery stroke of the piston element.