I'll admit that 12-16V is a large range to see quoted

Well... considering a lot of stuff use "universal" power supplies that take 110-240V these days, 12-16 isn't a very wide range.

There has been a large-scale migration from linear power supplies to switched ones, and switched regulators have an easier time coping with a wide input range.

In efect, a linear regulator burns off the excess voltage as heat. A switcher is in effect a variable transformer, using just the energy that is needed (modulo switching losses).

In both cases, the device/supply will only draw as much current as it needs - a good thing, considering your car battery can supply hundreds of amps.